Sugar Rush: Rival Racing
by HardWrapping
Summary: When a new Kingdom shows up out of nowhere Vanellope and the others visit for a meet and greet. But when one thing leads to another they find themselves in competition with their new rivals. The prize at stake? Vanellope's hand in marriage. Can the Sugar Rush Racers help get their friend out of this jam? Vanellope/Gloyd, Taffyta/Rancis, Swizzle/Minty.
1. The messangers

Vanellope ran as fast as she could towards the entrance of the palace. She heard screaming and she thought someone might be in trouble. Either that or it was Taffyta overreacting to a ruined outfit again. Still, she didn't like risking the chance. She made it to the entrance and saw Taffyta, Candlehead, and Jubileena wiping whipped cream off themselves. "What happened?" Vanellope asked.

She got her answer when she heard laughing from the top of the palace gates. She looked up and saw a certain pumpkin headed boy holding his stomach and bursting with laughter. Gloyd was up to his tricks again. Taffyta looked like she wanted to kill him. Gloyd wiped a tear from his eye and looked down to get another look at his handy work. He stopped laughing immediately when he saw the Princess of Sugar Rush Kingdom giving him the evil eyes. "Uh-oh."

He jumped off the wall and slide down a nearby candy cane. He made a beeline for the candy cane forest. Just as the others looked like they were about to head after him Vanellope held up her hand. "I'll catch him." She ran off after him and began glitching her way into the forest. She had had enough of his pranks. Sure they were fun at first, but lately he was getting out of hand, especially when it came to pranking Vanellope herself.

Gloyd rushed through the forest and zigzagged between the trees of Candy Cane Forest It was the only chance he had to lose the glitching Vanellope. Any other way and she could just glitch straight at him and catch him. He turned back and looked to see if she was still on him, but saw nothing. Had she given up? "You are in so much trouble Gloyd!"

She appeared a few feet behind him and almost managed to grab the back of his jacket. He smiled and ran left hoping to lose her in the thick forest. "You have to catch me first princess." He taunted as he slide under a root. She easily glitched past it and kept on him. "No fair!" He said making a hard right. He looked forward and saw the exit to Candy Cane forest. He was almost home free.

Vanellope leaped forward and was suddenly gone. He kept running and made his way out of the forest. A few seconds later Vanellope appeared in front of him and then tackled him to the ground. They rolled a few feet and then stopped with Vanellope on top of Gloyd. She was pinning him to the ground as he struggled to get up. "Get off me!" He said trying to shake loose. She was way too close for his liking.

She didn't move an inch. "Look Gloyd, it was funny at first but now it's just getting out of hand! I hate to pull rank but as president I'm ORDERING you to stop with the pranks." She said. He rolled her eyes. He could never stop pranking people. It was in his code. It was like asking her not to glitch all the time. "I mean it Gloyd, no more pranks, at least not for a while anyway."

Both of them suddenly heard laughing and then turned to see Rancis and Swizzle standing near their karts. They were both cracking up at the sight of Vanellope pinning down Gloyd. "Aw, you two look so cute together. I guess it's pretty clear who wears the pants in the relationship." Rancis said elbowing Swizzle who snickered. Gloyd blushed in embarrassment. It was one thing to be caught by a girl, but to be pinned down by one.

Vanellope quickly teleported off him and he stood up and dusted himself off. "I was NOT being pinned down by a girl! I just let her pin me. After all, I couldn't push her. She's the president." He said nervously. He knew they wouldn't believe that. Heck, he didn't believe that and he's the one who made it up.

The two other boys continued to laugh at him until Vanellope glitched and appeared right in front of them. "Hey, don't you two have something to do? You know, like go jump in the Nesquiksand pit or something?" She asked giving them an intimidating look.

They both frowned and then turned to walk away. "Aw, that's so sweet. She's protecting her boyfriend." Swizzle said as the two began walking off. "Hey Gloyd, when you're done making up with your girlfriend meet us at the Candy Corn Fields for some practice racing."

They walked off and Gloyd was about to fallow them but Vanellope quickly pulled him back. "Not so fast Orangboar. Let's you and me have a little talk shall we?" She said glitching in front of him. "Talk to me Gloyd buddy, what's up with all this pranking stuff Gloyd? Trying to impress the guys or just a midlife crisis?"

He shrugged and tried to run after the others, but she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. He sighed. There was no way she was going to let him go now. "Look, pranking is in my code okay? It's not like It's anything personal, it's just like asking you not to glitch or race. Never going to happen." He said shrugging his shoulders.

She didn't look very satisfied with that answer. "Okay, how about another question. Why is it that lately you keep trying to prank me?" She asked. He turned to say something but she stopped him. "And don't even try and tell me the prank with Taffyta and the others wasn't meant for me. If they hadn't come over for a visit I'd be covered in whip cream right now." She said placing her hands on her hips.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and frowned. "Don't flatter yourself princess. Anyone could have walked in or out of those gates. It doesn't mean it was meant just for you." He said bouncing on the heels of his feet. "Not everything has to be about you."

She looked annoyed. "Listen up pumpkin head, it's not princess, it's president! And I'm tired of all the pranks! I'm trying to run a kingdom here, and I don't need you getting in my way just to get a few laughs!" She said poking him in the chest. He backed up but she went after him until he was backed up again a candy cane tree. "So stop the pranks pronto or else! Is that clear?"

He looked nervously and turned red. Her face was only inches from his, but she was too angry to notice. "Okay, it's clear! It's crystal clear, just back off princes- I mean president!" He said holding his hands up to defend himself. She stared at him a few more seconds and then rolled her eyes. She turned and headed back to the castle. Someone had to help Taffyta and the others with all that whipped cream.

The minute she walked away Gloyd turned around and kicked the dirt. He grumbled and began making his way towards the Candy Corn fields to meet up with the guys. He couldn't believe it, he'd done it again. Why couldn't he stop pranking her? Just for a day? He guessed that it was because there was no other way to get her attention, no other way for him anyhow. The minute he entered the Candy Corn fields he saw Swizzle and Rancis waiting for him, snickering. "Shut up." He said grumpily.

"We didn't say anything." Rancis said holding back his laughter.

"Yeah. Just because you got caught, pinned, and lectured by a girl doesn't mean we respect you any less buddy." Swizzle said patting him on the back. He then burst out in laughter. "Oh wait! Yes it does!"

Gloyd looked annoyed and walked over to his kart. "Yeah, yeah, did we come here to joke or did we come here to race?" He said clearly annoyed. since the school year started everyone had most of the day to themselves, so Gloyd, Swizzle, and Rancis figured it they would use it for guy time. They were outnumbered three to eight after all.

"You looked awfully happy when she was on top of you Gloyd buddy? I'd say someone has a little crush." Swizzle said.

"Aw, Vanellope and Gloyd sitting in a tree!" Rancis sung. He and Swizzle wrapped their arms around each other's shoulder and both sung together. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" They both laughed and began making kissing noises as Gloyd's face turned red.

"Shut up!" Gloyd said embarrassed.

"You know what would win her over? Dedicate you're next race to her, maybe if you win we'll have a royal wedding!" Rancis said as he fell to his knees laughing. Swizzle rolled around on the ground holding his stomach in a fit of laughter.

Gloyd jumped in his kart and then revved it up. "Would you guys just shut up and drive! It was just a prank gone wrong okay! I DO NOT like Vanellope."

They both got up and wiped tears from their eyes. "Alright we'll stop for now. C'mon Swizzle, let's get racing." Rancis said jumped into his kart as well.

"Fine, but you know that one is sticking with you for a while lover boy." Swizzle said.

"Shut up!" Gloyd shouted.

Both Rancis and Swizzle pulled up beside Gloyd. Rancis pointed over towards the palace. "Okay, through the Candy Can Forest, past Waffle Cone valley, and to the palace gates. I'm putting down two Kit Kat Bars." He said holding up two of the candy.

"I bet Two Tootsie Pops." Swizzle said showing his prize.

"Ten kisses." Gloyd offered holding up a handful of Hersey's Kisses.

Rancis and Swizzle smirked. "Are you talking about the candy or kisses from you're precious Vanellope." Rancis said as Swizzle made kissing noises.

"SHUT UP!" He said pulling his goggles over his face.

Just as they were about to pull up to the starting line they saw something roll in front of their karts. Rancis looked over the hood of his kart confused. "Is that a jawbreaker?" The said Jawbreaker suddenly exploded and all three kart were knocked back a few feet. They heard laughing and then looked around trying to find the source. "Who's there?"

Hearing a rustle in the bushes they saw three boys walk out. The one in the front was chuckling at them. He had frosty white hair, blue eyes, and a blue baseball cap with a jawbreaker on the top. He was wearing goggles, a blue shirt, a white jacket, and white poke-doted pants. "Man, I can't believe they got freaked out so seriously."

The second boy had a red and black sombrero, black hair, and red eyes. He was wearing a black and red jacket, a white shirt, and black and red pants. "It's not so surprising amigo. They are from the Kingdom Candy after all."

The third had on a cowboy hat, brown eyes, and brown hair. He was wearing a brown zipped up jacket, and blue jeans. He was also carrying two guns on his sides. "Now that ain't nice. We have to remember these city folk ain't as rough and tough as we are." He said tilting his hat up.

"Who are you clowns?" Rancis asked angrily.

"Yeah, and what's with the Jawbreakers?" Swizzle asked.

The white haired boy smiled. "You like them? I made them myself. Their called Jaw-Bombers. I make them by-"

The one with the cowboy hat shot his gun into the air. "Shut up Jimmy. No one wants to hear about you're stupid toys." He said rolling his eyes. "We're here from another Kingdom. We need to see you're princess tooth sweet."

Gloyd looked at them suspiciously. "We don't have a Princess." He said. Technically he wasn't lying. Vanellope had said repeatedly she was president and not princess.

"Listen Pumpkin head, we've been sent on a mission to find the Princess of Candy Kingdom and deliver a message to her. And we're not leaving until we find her. Now you can do this the easy way…" He held up his gun and pointed it at Gloyd. He then smiled. "Or the fun way."

Gloyd looked shocked and the glared back at him. "And if I say no!"

Rancis quickly grabbed Gloyd and pulled him back. "Gloyd, are you insane, he's serious about this. Look, we'll just take them to Vanellope and see what they want. If their up to anything funny we'll just sick the guards on them." Rancis assured.

Gloyd didn't look satisfied but decided to let it go. "We'll show you to the princess, but put the guns away dude." Swizzle said.

The boy flipped his guns and then placed them in his holsters. "I'm not dude, I'm Sydney Syrupshot. These two are Jimmy Jawcracker and Larry de Lickerish." He said introducing the boys beside him. "Lead the way gumdrops."

Rancis and Swizzle began leading them as Gloyd kept staring. "You better not try anything funny, or else." He warned before running after Rancis and Swizzle.

* * *

Vanellope helped Jubileena wipe the whipped cream from her hair. "I can't believe Gloyd pulled this. He's been getting worst and worst with is pranks lately. It used to just be a cherry pie here and there. Now it's getting annoying." The red head said sighing.

"Sorry guys, I know he was trying to prank me. You just got caught up in it. I don't know what I'm going to do with that guy." Vanellope said as she passed Jubileena her freshly scrubbed helmet.

"Well, Jubileena is right, he's getting way out of control." Taffyta said annoyed. She scraped a handful of whip cream from her hair. "You should send them to the Fungeon."

"I don't want to put him in the Fungeon. I just want him to stop it with all the stupid pranks I mean come on I'm trying to run a kingdom here. Was he ever this bad when King Candy was calling the shots?" She asked looking towards the other girls.

"No. He never tried to prank the king." Candlehead said thinking back.

"Maybe he was afraid of being thrown in the FUNGEON!" Taffyta said putting extra emphasis on the 'Fungeon' Part.

"I'm not sending him to the Fungeon!"

"Maybe he likes you." Candlehead suggested. The others looked at her as if she was stupid. She could feel their stares and was a little nervous. "I mean, he's always trying to pick on you. I heard one of the players say to her friend that when a boy likes you he picks on you a lot. I just thought that maybe it meant he has a crush on you or something."

Taffyta thought for a second. "That's not as stupid as it sounds. Now that I think about it he has always targeted you. Looks like someone has a little crush on our president." Taffyta said smirking. "I can see it now. You and him, married, and the pitter-patters of little pumpkin headed children running all around the palace. A princesses dream life." She teased.

Vanellope wasn't laughing. "Wait, whoa no! I don't want to get married or have a family, I just became president." She said beginning to panic. "And I don't know what to do when a boy likes you!"

Jubileena grabbed her shoulders. "Vanellope! Calm down. There is no need to worry. You shouldn't be afraid of love. Love is a beautiful and wonderful thing. You should be happy Gloyd may have a crush on you. You could live in this castle with each other happily ever after and have the life of a real princess!" She said spinning around and jumping back onto Vanellope's bed.

"Oh great, she's going into lovey-dovey mode." Taffyta said rolling her eyes.

Vanellope looked at her in disgust. "Blah. I do NOT want a happily ever after. I just was him to stop pranking me."

Minty busted into the room looking worried. "Hey, the guys are coming back to the palace!" She said breathing heavily. No one really seemed to care. The guys always left and hung out together, it was nothing new. "And they brought back new avatars!" That was definitely new!

"C'mon!" Vanellope said running outside.

The girls all followed. When they got out, they saw Snowanna, Crumbelina, and Adorabeezle already near the gates. "They're about to come in." Snowanna said looking worried. "Vanellope, what are we going to do?"

No one had said it but everyone was thinking about what this could mean. If there were new players then the old ones might be left behind. It didn't mean the game would shut down, but none of them wanted to be forgotten or never used by the players. "Look, everyone calm down. It's just a few new players. It doesn't mean anything. Let's just hear them out and see what they want." Vanellope said trying to calm them all down.

The gates opened and Rancis walked in followed by the others. "Well, at least they know we're here." Rancis muttered.

Gloyd and Swizzle came in after him. When Sydney, Jimmy, and Larry walked in they looked around shocked. "Whoa, check out all the cute girls. Maybe we should move here." He moved over and wrapped his arm around Crumbelina. "Hey sweet stuff, what's your name?"

"As if!" Crumbelina said pushing him away.

Larry pulled out two lickerish whips and flung them out. He grabbed both Jubileena and Taffyta and then pulled them in. "Hello senoritas. Would you mind showing me around the Candy Kingdom so we may be better acquainted?" He asked.

Taffyta pushed away from him but Jubileena blushed and giggled. Taffyta grabbed her arms and pulled her away. "Or maybe you should back off before I make you back off newbies." Taffyta said threateningly.

"This one's got a tongue on her." Larry said smirking.

They heard gunshots in the air and all turned towards Sydney. "Jimmy, Larry, stop goofing off so we can get down to business." He ordered. Jimmy and Larry walked over beside Sydney who looked around. There was supposed to be a princess around here somewhere. He just had to find her.

"Hey." Vanellope glitched in front of him. "I'm guessing you're the one calling the shots here buddy. Can you keep your two devil dogs there under control?" She asked annoyed.

Sydney frowned. "Out of the way. I'm looking for the princess of the Candy Kingdom and I don't have time to deal with a loud mouthed little glitch." He said pushing her aside.

Taffyta stomped up to him and shoved him back. "Candy Kingdom doesn't have a princess smart guy, we have a president. And you're getting on her bad side." She said pointing to Vanellope.

Vanellope smirked. "Hey, I'm Vanellope von schweetz, president of Candy Kingdom." She said smugly.

Sydney looked over at Vanellope wide eyed. He then bowed down and tipped his hat. "I'm truly sorry ma'am, I had no idea you were the ruler of the Candy Kingdom." He looked back at Jimmy and Larry. "Bow down idiots!"

Larry bowed down but Jimmy shook his head. "I'm not bowing down to a glitch." He said crossing her arms. Sydney pulled out his gun and aimed it at him. "I will however bow down to a gun." He said kneeling down.

"You guys don't have to bow you know. I'm not royalty, I'm president. Big difference." Vanellope said.

"Sorry, it's just orders ma'am." Sydney explained. "My name is Sydney Syrupshot. We're from the Sweet Tooth Kingdom. We were put into the game by an update the other day. My friends and I were sent here to deliver a message to the ruler of Candy Kingdom."

Vanellope looked confused. "A game update. We didn't know anything about it. And we didn't see any sign of you guys."

"Our Kingdom's territory is located far beyond yours. Our console was installed on the other side so racers can go head to head. But a new track was installed in the middle ground so we could all meet." Jimmy explained.

"Yes. To make sure we all get off on the right foot Prince Gambit Gumball sent us to invite you to his palace. You and all you're racers are encouraged to come for a meet and greet tonight when the arcade closes. It would mean a lot if you accepted." Sydney said.

Vanellope looked surprised. "So wait, there's a whole other Kingdom?"

"Just a handful huh?" Taffyta said rolling her eyes.

"Okay, but I was right about hearing them out. They just want to meet us and get along." Vanellope reasoned. "Tell you're Prince we'll be there."

"Thank you Ma'am. It was an honor meeting you. We'll see you tonight." He said tipping his hat. "C'mon fellas."

They turned and headed for the gate. Larry winked towards Jubileena who giggled, and Jimmy waved at Crumbelina. "Call me." He said smiling. Crumbelina rolled her eyes and made sure to slam the gates when they left.

"This, is bad." Taffyta said worried. "These guys can't be anything but trouble."

"Aw c'mon, you're being crazy. They seemed nice enough." Vanellope assured.

"He pulled a gun on me!" Gloyd shouted.

Vanellope poked him in the chest. "Good, maybe if I pulled one on you you'd stop pulling all the stupid pranks around here!" She said turning towards the others. "Look, their new here. I think the least we can do is go and meet them so we can show them the ropes. Think of them as… students."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to go to that place after they just came in a threatened me and the guys!" Gloyd said.

"I'm not asking you to be best friends, I'm just asking you to go and meet them. If we don't like them we'll never have to visit them again, I promise."

"I already don't like them!" Gloyd complained.

"That's an order Orangboar!" She said sternly.

Gloyd stepped up. "Hey, you can't order me around! You're not a princess remember! I say we have a vote on it!" He demanded.

"Fine! Everyone who's for raise their hand!" Vanellope shouted. All the girls raised their hands immediately. "Well, It's decided then." If there was one thing the girls did it was stick together.

"That's not fair! There are only three boys!" Gloyd said.

"You're the one who wanted to vote, and we voted. We're going." She said. She headed back inside the castle and the girls followed. No doubt to talk about this new Kingdom.

Sizzle walked forward and put a hand on Gloyd's shoulders. "Girls, we'll never understand them man." He said shrugging. "Might as well make the best of it though, eat some candy and maybe show off a bit on the new race track."

"Yeah, these guys may be knew, but I bet we can drive circles around them." Rancis said.

Gloyd smiled. They were right. Just because they were knew didn't mean they had anything to worry about. They were unstoppable on the track, and they would prove it. And he would show that Vanellope they didn't need to make nice with these guys!

* * *

**A/N: Sup. Haven't updated in a while and saw a movie of Wreck-it Ralph so I decided to awaken from my deep slumber and actually post something. I hope you guys like it. Yes, I ship Gloyd and Vanellope. I don't think there are enough stories about them so. I wanted to throw it in. Read and Review. **


	2. Sweet Tooth Kingdom

Vanellope drove up but came to a stop when she saw it. There it was right in front of her. It was the end of the Candy Corn fields, and the beginning of the new update. The others pulled up behind her and looked in awe. It was snowy, very snowy. "Great, so to get to the meet and greet all we have to do is walk through freezing weather and risk freezing to death." Rancis said crossing his arms.

Adorabeezle drove forward and then leaned down grabbing a handful of snow. She looked confused for a few seconds and then ate it. She smiled and looked back at the others. "Don't worry guy's it's just ice cream. We should be just fine as long as we don't stop for too long." The skiing expert said proudly.

"See, free ice cream, I like our new neighbors already." Vanellope said as she drove forward. "I think your should lead the way Adorabeezle. You're used to this type of weather."

She nodded and began driving forward. Everyone else followed. They drove for a few minutes and then Swizzle looked over his shoulder. Minty saw him and looked curious. "Hey Swizz, something wrong?" She asked looking back. "You keep looking over your shoulder like someone is following us."

He squinted and looked closer. "I think something is, but whenever I look back it's gone. Maybe I'm just seeing stuff in the snow or whatever." He said deciding to forget about it.

Minty smiled. "I think you're just worried about seeing the new guys. A little competition and boys fold faster than a lawn chair." She teased. He seemed like he was going to saw something but then they heard something. It sounded like howling. "Or maybe something is following us." She said now scared.

"Hey you two, what's the hold up?" Vanellope shouted.

"I think there's something following us!" Minty shouted back.

The others all stopped and looked back. "I don't see anything." Snowanna said trying to spot something, anything. "Are you two sure something is following us?" She asked hopping out of her kart. The others jumped out and looked around as well. All she could see was ice cream and trees made out of waffle cones.

Not a second after she finished her question they all heard loud howling. Everyone back up as they saw figures running behind the trees. Slowly creatures began walking out from behind the trees. They were wolves, made out of waffle cones. And they had hot fudge dripping from their teeth. "I think we're in trouble." Minty said grabbing Swizzle.

"Okay, everyone just stay calm. Try not to make any sudden moves." Vanellope said.

Rancis rolled his eyes. "Please, their made of waffle cones. We can take these puppies." He said walking towards his kart. One of the wolves rushed at him and grabbed him by the back of his jacket. It shook him around violently and the others looked terrified. "I was wrong! I was wrong, they're not pushovers and their not puppies!" He yelled.

Vanellope glitched at the wolf and managed to grab a hold of Rancis' leg then pulled him out of the wolf's mouth. She glitched them back over with the rest of the group and they huddled together. "Okay, stay together. They shouldn't attack as long as we don't split up." Adorabeezle said looking around.

Vanellope counted all the wolves. "Okay, I count about ten of them. I'll distract them and you guys make a break for it."

Everyone turned towards her. She was about to run forward but Gloyd grabbed her arm. "Are you insane? We're not going to leave you here! You are our leader, and you have to lead. " Gloyd said pulling her back. "I'll distract them. I'm the second fastest."

Just as he was about to run off they heard an engine revving. They all turned around and were shocked. Jimmy was driving towards them on a kart, and Sydney was sitting on the back seat of it! Sydney stood up and then aimed his guns at the wolves. He fired and hit one of the wolves with chocolate syrup. The wolf growled but then began slowing down. The Syrup was hardening.

The rest of the wolves began scattering as Sydney blow on his pistol and smiled. "Sorry we're late guys. We totally forgot that we were supposed to wait at the border." Jimmy said laying back in his seat. "So how do you like the Frosty Forest?"

"It stinks." Taffyta said bluntly.

"Yeah, we've got a bit of a waffle wolf infestation around here. But they normally know to stay away since we can handle them." Sydney said tipping his hat. "We'll be escorting you and you're group from here on ma'am."

Jubileena walked up and looked at their kart. "A two person kart, I've never seen anything like that before." She said in awe.

Jimmy smiled. "Yeah, their called Double Dash karts. We have a Kart Factory near the Kingdom that makes them." He explained. "Maybe me and you can take a ride together some time beautiful." He said winking at Crumbelina.

"Or maybe you could go choke on a cherry." Crumbelina responded.

"C'mon, we should get moving before the pack comes back." Sydney instructed.

Everyone quickly got back to their kart and began following Sydney and Jimmy. After twenty straight minutes of driving they were able to see the Sweet Tooth Kingdom up ahead. It was around the same size as their castle, and looked a lot smoother. It seemed to be made of caramel and chocolate. "Not too shabby." Vanellope said.

The gate opened and they saw Larry waiting inside. "Hello senoritas, let me be the first to welcome you to the Sweet Tooth kingdom." He said bowing. Vanellope attempted to walk in but two axe shaped lollipops came down blocking her path. Vanellope looked side to side and saw two huge faceless soldiers that looked like they were made of gum. "Alto, alto! Calm down. Their friends." Larry said waving his arms.

The guards put their weapons down and Vanellope hesitantly walked through. "Sorry about that ma'am. The Gum Guardians are very particular about who they let in the castle. They even pulled their weapons on us a few times." Jimmy said patting one of the guards on the leg. "But they're really harmless. Aside from the ones guarding the gate, they don't move unless the Prince orders it."

"Well, I feel totally welcomed so far." Tattyta said sarcastically. She was beginning to think voting with Vanellope was a bad idea.

They walked through the courtyard and another creature jumped from the bushes. It looked like white polka dotted alligator. It ran was Crumbelina who ran and then pushed Adorabeezle in front of her. "It's another one of those monsters! Keep it away!" Crumbelina yelled.

Adorabeezle rolled her eyes and then picked the creature up. It stuck it's tongue out and then licked her face. "Hey, knock that off Snapper." Sydney ordered. "Sorry about him. Snapper is the castle's pet. He may look mean as a sour patch snake, but wouldn't harm a fly."

"It's okay, I don't mind him." Adorabeezle said holding it in her arms. "He's kind of cute."

"He really seems to like you." Sydney said turning back around. "It's this way to the throne room."

The group followed Sydney in through the large palace doors and down the hall until entered into the palace room, which Vanellope noted was larger than hers was! When they looked up and saw a pink eyes boy sitting on the throne. He was dressed in royal clothes and had a large jewel filled crown on his pink colored hair. He sat with his legs crossed as he read from a book in his lap. Standing on the sides of the rug that lead to his thrown were kids.

Vanellope guessed these guys had to be the other racers. When the door closed he looked up and then smiled. He closed his book and looked around at all of them. "Sydney, may I ask you a question?" He asked.

"Of course sire." Sydney said quickly bowing down. Jimmy and Larry fallowed suit.

The prince got up and walked down from his throne. "If I'm not mistaken I told you to keep that filthy excuse for an animal outside of my throne room did I not?" He said tossing his book behind him.

Sydney looked back and saw Adorabeezle holding Snapper. Adorabeezle looked worried. Had she done a bad thing by bringing him in. "My apologies sire." He said quickly. "The guests wanted to hold him and-"

"The guests had no knowledge of this rule, you and the others did. Make sure you follow my orders from now on." He said glaring at the three of them. "I was gracious enough to let you keep that sorry sack of sugar, the least you could do it keep it from dirtying my palace."

"Of course sir, I apologize." Sydney said standing back up. He looked at Snapper who shook loose from Adorabeezle and then ran outside. He then stepped aside and then held his hand out. "May I introduce to you the ruler of Sweet Tooth Kingdom, the great and powerful prince Garry Gumball."

The prince bowed and then looked at the Sugar Rush racers. "Greetings my honored guests, I am ecstatic you were able to come today. Which one of you is Vanellope?" He asked looking around.

Vanellope raised her hand. "Sup." She said smiling.

He walked up to her smirking. "So you're the highly esteemed Princess Vanellope I've heard about. It's an honor to meet you."

"Actually it's president. The whole princess thing didn't suit me."

He grabbed her hand. "It doesn't matter. Whether you're called Princess or President, the mark of leadership is obviously in your code." He said kissing her hand.

Vanellope looked surprised while Gloyd looked furious. He quickly reached forward and snatched Garry's hand away from hers and then shook it. "Hi, I'm Gloyd." He said glaring at the prince. "Nice to meet you." He tightened his grip.

Garry looked at him annoyed. "Charmed." He mumbled clearly annoyed. "May I meet the rest of your little gang?"

Vanellope pulled Gloyd back and gave him a look. "Just cool it for now Orangboar, I can handle this guy." She whispered. She turned back to Garry and smiled. "No problem. This is Taffyta, Adorabeezle, Rancis, Swizzle, Minty, Snowanna, Crumbelina, Candlehead, and Jubileena."

They all waved shyly and Garry nodded. "It's wonderful to meet you all. As you can see here I have my racer's all gathered all well. Introduce yourselves." He ordered.

Two kids stepped forward, both boys and scowled. They were both wearing suits and hats. They looked just like Chicago gangsters. The only different between them was their color. One had red eyes and a red suit, while the other had blue eyes and a blue suit.

"I'm Petty Al CaPop-rock." The red one said.

"I'm Patrick Al CaPop-rock." The blue one said.

"We're the famous Al CaPop-rock twins." They both said pulling out pop rocks. They stuck them in their mouths and then crossed their arms. "Don't cross us, and we won't cross you."

The next one was a girl wearing a cowboy hat. She was wearing a blue blouse and a brown vest, and pants just like Sydney. "Howdy, I'm Cindy Syrupshot. If ya'll couldn't tell I'm Sydney's little sis. I hope we can be right good friends!" She said taking off her hat and bowing.

The next one was in a white Chinese dress. She had green hair in two buns that were wrapped up like lollipops. "I'm Tea Tootsie. It's an honor to meet you all." She said bowing. "This is my partner Fang Frootloop. He doesn't talk very much."

The brown haired boy beside her was wearing a white karate outfit, and a red headband made of fruit roll ups. He put his fist together and bowed.

"I'm Manny Maplelog." The next boy said stepping up. He had dark brown hair and looked like a mini robin hood. He even had the funny hat and a little bow and arrow on his side.

"And I'm his partner Fryer Dough." The boy next to him said. He had a light brown tracksuit on and a donut helmet on his head. "But you can just call me Dough."

After everyone finished they stood back in their position and Vanellope looked around surprised. Garry ruled his kingdom like… well, a prince. Everyone bowed towards him, and called him sire. And they followed his every order. Garry got up and then clapped. A table rose up from the center of the room. "Well, now that we're done with that, let's sit down and have a meal. I'm sure you're all very exhausted from your trip here."

"No, the waffle wolves that almost ate us actually made us totally relaxed." Gloyd muttered sarcastically.

Everyone sat down at the large long table. Vanellope and Garry sat opposite from each other at the ends of the table. The racer racers also sat across from one another, all facing someone from the opposite Kingdom. "It's a pretty nice place you got here."

He smiled as Gum Guards all walked out holding plates of candy. They marched around and set them all down on the table. "Thank you. Cindy and Tea tend to keep the place tidy. We don't have as many girls here so it gets a little messy when they're not around." He said. "Everyone feel free to eat as much as you want. We have more than enough candy to go around."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Swizzle said rubbing his hands together. He began digging in and most of the others followed. Rancis and Taffyta seemed skeptical about this whole thing, and Gloyd just didn't want to eat… he never thought he wouldn't want to eat candy.

Vanellope noticed Gloyd and seemed worried. "Hey Gloyd, what's the matter?"

"Nothing." He said childishly.

Garry leaned forward on the table. "If you're in the mood for something else I'm sure Cindy wouldn't mind whipping something up."

"Shucks naw! I can fix up the best Chewing Gumbo this arcade's ever seen in no time." She offered.

Gloyd shook his head. "Its fine, I'm just not hungry."

Jimmy snickered as he grabbed a snickers bar from the table. "I would have trouble sleeping to if I had to worry about Cy-bugs and a crazy old geezer trying to eat me alive." He muttered.

Everyone heard him however. "Excuse me? Are you trying to imply something?" Vanellope asked angrily.

"I'm just saying before we got here you guys almost let this game go down the toilet." He said putting his arm on the table. "I guess that's what to expect when you let a glitch rule."

"Now now Jimmy, whether she's a glitch or not I'm sure she's a capable ruler. She did manage to stop them from taking over, so she obviously handled the problem." Garry said smirking as he cut his food up.

Jimmy didn't look satisfied. "With all due respect sire, she had to get the help of outsiders from other games. I have nothing against outsiders of course, but I for one think a ruler should be able to keep things like that from happening, or at the very least be able to stop it."

"I must agree sire." Larry said sniffing a candy rose. "Senorita Vanellope seems very nice, but I find it difficult to believe she can successfully lead her kingdom. If it weren't for this Ralph fellow, Sugar rush would be no more." He finished plucking a petal off.

Vanellope looked like she was going to say something but Taffyta beat her to the punch. "Wait a second, she's a great ruler! And you don't have the right to try and call her out like that!" Vanellope was honestly a little surprised it was Taffyta who spoke on her behalf.

"Why don't you put your motor where you're mouth is!" Jimmy said smirking.

Vanellope waved her hands. "Whoa, whoa, hold on a second. We all came here to meet and try and get along, why don't we just settle down?" Vanellope said.

Prince Garry smirked. This could actually go somewhere. "It appears you don't have the same confidence in your racers as they do in you." Garry commented.

Vanellope looked across the table at him. "Hey! I am just as confident in my racers as you do in yours! In fact, my racers could drive circles around yours!" She said slamming her hands on the table and standing up.

"Perhaps we could have a little wager then? I happen to know that Litwick is taking off for the holidays and the Arcade will not be open for the next few days. Maybe we could have a Grand Prix or something." Garry said smiling confidently at her. He knew his racers couldn't lose.

She smiled right back at him. "Yours racers against mine, we have ten races, five courses from my kingdom and five from yours."

"Five races, two from courses my kingdom, two from yours, and the new track from the update that runs through all of Sugar Rush."

"Five against five?" She asked.

"Ten against ten, we use double dash karts." Garry said. Vanellope didn't seemed to have any qualms so he kept going. "If you win, I'll give you all the candy in my Kingdom. But when I win… you'll give me your hand in marriage."

Vanellope did a spit take and stared at him in shock. "What are you crazy? I'm not going to marry you!"

"I will!" Jubileena said raising her hand.

Garry ignored her. "You won't have to if your racers are as good as you claim. I for one would trusts my racers with my very life. But I guess trust isn't a trait of the Candy Kingdom."

Taffyta leaned over to Vanellope. "DO NOT do this! He's just trying to bait you!" She warned.

"She's right, you don't have to do this!" Gloyd added. "We don't have to prove anything to these guys."

Vanellope looked worried but then grew a stern face. "You're on gum wade!"

"Excellent. I think this place would be better with a King in charge." He said laying back.

"Don't count your candy eggs before they hatch. You haven't won yet." Vanellope reminded.

He laughed at her. "My dear, I won the moment you accepted this bet. Feel free to stay for dinner. Afterwards Sydney will show you to our kart factory and you can make up your own double dash karts." Garry said grabbing a piece of cake.

Everyone looked worried and the room felt awkward. Needless to say the rest of dinner was had in silence.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys. I hope this chapter was up to par with what you guys were expecting. I was hesitant about throwing in so many OC's, but I wanted them to have equal racers. You probably won't hear much from them, just a conversation here and there. Tell me if you guys think i'm headed in the right direction with the story. Also, Just want to say I really appreciate all the reviews you guys gave. Gave me a real confidence booster. **


	3. Double Dash Karts

After dinner had ended Sydney had began leading the others to the kart factory. Most of them were worried since they had never driven these types of karts before, but no one had said anything. Vanellope trusted them to win, so they would not let her down. Sydney led them to a chocolate covered road with nuts on it. "This the quickest way to the kart factory, and the Waffle wolves shouldn't bother us on this path, but stay close just in case."

As they made their way down the path, Adorabeezle saw a rustling in the bushes. Crumbelina and Jubileena stopped behind her. Was it another wolf? Snapper jumped from the bush and ran over to Adorabeezle before jumping into her arms. "Hey, it's snapper." She said as the pet licked her face.

Sydney looked back and smiled. "He must like you a lot since he followed your scent here. He's probably here to get his snack. I usually bring him something from the kitchen after dinner." He said reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a gummy worm and then tossed it at Snapper. The pet shot its tongue out and snatched the treat from the air. Sydney turned and kept leading them down the path. "C'mon, we're almost there."

Adorabeezle ran up beside Sydney. "So, why won't the prince let Snapper in the palace? Is he allergic or something?" She asked.

"No. The prince is very fussy about what and whom he lets in the palace. Plus Snapper left a little gift on his thrown once." He said. "For what it's worth I'm sorry about this whole mess. I know the prince can be a little rambunctious, but please don't think too badly of him."

Taffyta huffed. "That shipped sailed a while ago pal."

"Why do you guys listen to him? I know he is supposed to be the prince, but you don't have to let him boss you around. We only listen to Vanellope because we want to." Adorabeezle explained.

"We also kind of thought she was going to execute us." Candlehead admitted. Crumbelina elbowed her side. "Ow! Well it's true!" She complained.

Sydney sighed. "Most of us do like the prince. He's bossy but he does put us first. And besides that, it's our duty to serve him." Vanellope covered her mouth to keep from laughing. He noticed her and rolled his eyes. "Not THAT kind of duty."

She laughed even harder. That was exactly what Ralph said. "Is that the kart factory?" Rancis asked pointing up at the large building before them.

Sydney nodded and then tapped on the huge door. It began opening and he lead them inside. "I think the prince said it should work the same way as your kart factory. But keep in mind that these are designed for two people, and two people are needed to make them." He said. "Also keep in mind that double dash karts are made for specific partners. So make sure you and your partner work well together."

"So, is Jimmy your partner?" Candlehead asked. She remembered how he had rode with Jimmy earlier.

"No, that was a kart we just had laying around. My sister and I are partners. You see double dash kart partners have to be coordinated, so pick your partner wisely. If you make a kart with someone you have to drive it with them, or else you'll be out of synch." He warned.

"So we just pick our partners wisely, no problem." Minty said.

"Well, you guys can stay here as long as you want. The courses we all will be using from the Sweet Tooth kingdom are the Rocky Road, and Hersey's Highway. You can practice on them as much as you want."

Vanellope looked at him suspiciously. "You know, for a guy who's going to be racing against us you sure do seem to want to help a lot."

He tipped his hat. "Well ma'am, the way I see it, it wouldn't be fair otherwise. Besides, the prince told me to make sure I give you every advantage you need so there will be no excuse when you lose."

Vanellope frowned. "Don't you mean IF we lose?"

He shook his head. "Sorry ma'am, as much as we like you the prince wants us to win. So we'll win, it's simple as that." He said it as if it were already a fact.

"We'll see. Thanks for the help Sydney." Vanellope said.

He nodded and then left out. He knew he could of stuck around to see what type of karts they were making, but that didn't seem fair. He closed the door and Vanellope turned around to face everyone. "Okay, so I know we've got ourselves in a bit of a mess here."

"WE didn't get into anything. YOU got us into this. Vanellope, if you lose you're going to get married!" Gloyd said holding his hands in the air. "And that guy will be the ruler of ALL of sugar rush! Then what will we do?"

"Well the first thing we're going to do is win, and I know we can because I believe in you guys!" Vanellope said smiling. "Now we just have to decide who's going to partner with whom."

"Me and Swizz got this." Minty said grabbing his arm. "C'mon, let's go make our kart." She said pulling him along. He looked nervous as Rancis chuckled and made kissing noises.

Taffyta looked at him and rolled her eyes. "C'mon Fluggerbutter, you're with me." She said grabbing him. He looked nervous as well as he was drug away by the taffy themed girl. Gloyd snickered and waved at them, suckers.

"Hey Crumbelina, what do you say we team up?" Jubileena asked.

"Grace and style a deadly combination." Crumbelina said smiling. They high fived and then walked off to go build their kart.

"Oh, I want to team up with Snowanna!" Candlehead said. She would have teamed up with Taffyta, but seeing as she had a partner she figured she'd team with Snowanna. Besides, the two hadn't hung out in a while.

"Let's show who their messing with sister." Snowanna said leading Candlehead off.

Gloyd looked over at Adorabeezle. "Guess that just leaves me and you Orangboar." She said punching his arm playfully.

"Yeah, we might as well get this over with." He said grimly.

"I think I'll tag along with Crumbelina and Jubileena to see how these things are made. You two have fun." She said running off.

Gloyd huffed and followed Adorabeezle into the nearest room. As they walked in Adorabeezle looked back and smirked at him. "So, how long have you had a crush on the pres?" She asked.

Gloyd's face turned as red as Jubileena's hair. "What? What makes you think I have a crush on the president?" He asked nervously.

She scoffed. "Please, the way you snatched his hand away from hers, the way you tried to protect her from those wolves. You're head over heels in love with her pumpkin boy." She said chuckling. "C'mon Gloyd, you know I'm not the gossipy type. You can tell me."

She was right. Adorabeezle didn't like all the girly stuff the others did. Swizzle said she normally hung out with her and Minty, and rarely, if ever, gossiped about the others. "Okay, so maybe I do like her. Do not tell anyone, especially Rancis and Swizzle. They'd tease me about it for sure."

"I won't say anything, but you know she's probably talking about it right?"

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. "Gloyd, why do you think she went with Crumbelina and Jubileena and not us? They're going to gossip about you."

He looked panicked. "Well what are they going to say?" He asked.

"I don't know. I'm not a girly girl. But I know one thing for sure. If we don't win this race it won't matter if she likes you back or not, cause she'll be married."

His face turned pale. "We have to win."

* * *

Vanellope looked worried. She had faith in her friends, but what if… no, they wouldn't lose, they would definitely win! They had to. "Are you worried Vanellope?" Jubileena asked. She and Crumbelina stood in front of the controllers to decorate their kart. "Put those sprinkles on it!"

"I don't know. I know everyone wanted to show these guys we're just as good as they are, but do you think I made a mistake by taking this bet? Plus being married, I can't get married." She said shuttering.

"You won't have to worry about being married. We'll wipe the floor with those Sweet Tooth creeps." Crumbelina said. "So, Jubileena tells me a certain pumpkin head has a crush on you."

Vanellope blushed. "Gloyd? What is with everyone thinking Gloyd likes me." She said crossing her arms.

"So do you like him back?" Crumbelina asked.

"What?" The question seemed to catch her off guard.

"Do you like him back?" Crumbelina repeated with a smirk. "Do you?"

"No! Well, maybe… I don't know! I've never really liked a boy before! I mean I thought Rancis used to be cute but I didn't 'like' him. How am I supposed to even tell?" She groaned.

"Well, don't ask Jubileena because she'll tell you you're in love with the first thing that moves." Crumbelina said trying to focus on their kart.

Jubileena pouted. "Hey, just because I happen to be looking for love doesn't mean I'll go for anything… you think the prince will marry me instead when we win?" She asked.

Both Vanellope and Crumbelina decided to ignore her. "Look Vanellope, just think on it. If you like him then tell him. If not then come back and I'll show you how to shoot a guy down. I've been shooting down that Jimmy guy all day."

"He really seems to like you. Why don't you just give him a shot? I mean after this whole thing blows over anyway. Now it would just be all awkward." Jubileena said smirking.

"Isn't it obvious he's a weirdo? I mean looked at him!" Crumbelina said in disbelief.

Vanellope sighed. "Hey, not to be self centered but I'm kind of in a huge jam over here. I could use some of your girly advice or whatever." She complained.

Jubileena smirked. "You could just kiss Gloyd and find out. I heard when you kiss a boy you know if you like him instantly." She suggested.

Vanellope blushed and shook her head. "No, no, no, no!" I'm definitely not kissing him! I don't even know if I like him!"

"I was only joking." The red head said giggling. She grew a wide smile and then ran over towards the end of the trey their kart had been. "It's done! Let's see what we got!"

Crumbelina ran over next to her and rubbed her hands. The kart slowly wheeled out and the two girls looked proud. Vanellope took a look and nodded in approvingly. They had managed to throw both of their candy themes into it. The kart itself looked like it was made of some red cherry like substance, and the top of it had been covered with milk chocolate.

Crumbelina ran over and jumped into the driver's seat. "Sweet, what should we call this baby?" She asked.

Jubileena ran over and then jumped on the back. "How about we call it… the Chocolate Cherry Runner?"

Crumbelina thought for a moment. "I like it. It kind of rolls off the tongue doesn't it?"

"Oh man, that really does look cool. I wish I got to race." Vanellope said admiring the kart.

They both smiled slyly at her. "Maybe when we win you and Gloyd can come back and make a kart just for the two of you?" Crumbelina suggested.

"La-la-la-la-la! Can't hear you!" Vanellope shouted covering her ears.

* * *

Everyone met outside of the kart factory looking excited. Everyone would be able to show off what they made and start hitting the track with their karts. Vanellope, Jubileena, and Crumbelina walked out and saw the others waiting on them. "What took you ladies so long?" Rancis asked smirking.

Crumbelina who was sitting in the back jumped down and patted the hood of their kart. "We had to put the finishing touches on the Chocolate Cherry Runner. The fastest kart this side of the whack-a-mole." She said proudly.

Taffyta smirked and pulled out her lollipop. "Oh really? Because I say the Peanut Fudge Flyer here is the fastest." She said. Vanellope looked as Rancis drove the kart out. It was definitely based of both their themes and had a peanut butter fudge look.

"Well it's got nothing on ours!" Swizzle said. "Say hello to the Swirl Speeder!" Minty honked the horn in their blue and green stripped kart. It even had green swirled peppermints as wheels.

"Behold! The Rainbow Cake Cruiser!" Candlehead said clearly excited. She and Snowanna both stood aside and showed their multi colored cake kart. It had three pistons on each side resembling candles.

They heard an engine revving and turned towards Adorabeezle and Gloyd. Adorabeezle pressed on the pedal happily as Gloyd leaned on the side door. "Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce to you the Frosty Pumpkin." The kart was orange and pumpkin themed, but had frosting around the sides.

Vanellope smiled and clapped her hands together. "Okay! Now it's just a matter of who's going which track!"

"I hold the fastest record in the Candy Cane forest. I think me and Rancis can do that one." Taffyta said.

"And I hold on the fastest one in the Candy Corn fields. We'll smoke those guys." Swizzle said as he and Minty high fived.

"Okay, great. So let's go check out Hersey's Highway and the Rocky Road. We can decide who's going to race on what track then." Vanellope said.

"Wait, then who gets the last track, the one that goes through all of Sugar Rush?" Minty asked.

Gloyd looked angry. "I'm getting it. I want me crossing the finish line to be the last thing that smug son of a sugar cane sees in this Prix." He said adjusting his hat.

"Gloyd does know all the shorts cuts in our half of the game. If we practice on the others I'm sure he can find them in no time." Adorabeezle said.

"I can memorize every trick on the track in no time." He assured.

Vanellope thought on it. "Alright, I'm counting on you Orangboar." She said punching her arm.

"Relax princess you don't have to ring the wedding bells yet." He said jumping on the back of the kart.

Vanellope rolled her eyes. "It's President. I'm going to go help the others with the Sweet Tooth circuits. But, I'll come by and check on you and Adorabeezle later." She said heading toward her kart. She stopped and then looked back nervously. "Oh, and good luck Gloyd. With the races I mean."

"Thanks." Gloyd said smiling. He watched as Vanellope jumped into her kart and began driving off. Candlehead, Snowanna, Crumbelina and Jubileena drove after her. He looked over at Adorabeezle who was wearing a smug look on her face. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything."

* * *

Vanellope watched as Crumbelina and Jubileena struggled to make the tight right turn on Hersey's highway. It was always that same turn that seemed to stop them. They pulled over avoiding the chocolate cars and trucks that zipped up and down the roadway and made their way over towards Vanellope. "You guys have to drift when you get to that turn."

"I am drifting. This thing just isn't drifting enough." Jubileena complained. "I don't get it! I never had this much trouble drifting before."

They heard laughing and then looked up. A few tows above Vanellope in the stands were Jimmy, Larry, the Al CaPop-rock twins, and Fang. All of them were laughing except Fang who just stared down with a stoic look on his face. "Having some trouble ladies?" Larry asked.

"We're fine!" Crumbelina said revving the engine.

Jimmy held his hands up. "Hey, no need to snap at us babe, we're just trying to offer some help." He said jumping down a few rows. "You see, double dash karts are heavier and sturdier, but they're a lot harder to move. Therefore, the back seat driver needs to help. When she starts to drift, lean your body over to help shift some of the kart's weight."

Crumbelina looked at him suspiciously. "Yeah right. You're probably just trying to trick us." She said turning back.

"We don't need to trick you…" Petty started while giggling.

"…when you're already so bad." Patrick finished joining his brother in laughter.

The three girls glared at them and Vanellope turned back to the track. "Just ignore them, their trying to throw us off our game before the competition. Try it again, I know you guys can make this turn."

Jubileena nodded and then drove off. She circled around the track until they made their way to the right turn. Jubileena turned the wheel as far as she could, attempting to drift past the tight turn, but it wasn't working. "For sweets sake! Lean into the turn!" Crumbelina looked over at the stands and saw Jimmy shouted.

"Ugh!" She couldn't believe she was listening to this guy. She leaned over to the right and Jubileena could immediately feel the weight of the kart shifting. They could hear the wheels skid against the chocolate shelled road as they swung around the turn. The minute they were clear Jubileena stomped on the gas and they continued down the track.

"We did it! I can't believe we did it!" Jubileena cheered.

Crumbelina couldn't believe it. "It worked. I can't believe he was telling the truth." She pulled up to the stands and saw Vanellope smiling. Behind her were the twins and Larry who looked amazed. No one had ever gotten the turn that fast.

Fang and Jimmy didn't looked surprised at all. "Told you she'd make it."

"No fair!" Petty yelled.

"You told her!" Patrick shouted.

"I didn't say I wouldn't tell her. I just said she would make the turn. Now pay up suckers!"

* * *

Garry looked down at them all from his balcony and smirked. "It looks like our friends are getting used to the tracks and double dash karts. Good, I wouldn't want it to be too easy for us." He said closing the door to his balcony.

He turned around and looked towards the door of his room where Sydney stood at attention. "They do seem to be coming along sire. No one here has ever made the turn on Hersey's highway so quickly."

Garry smiled. "No one except you." He walked over and patted Sydney on the shoulder. "You hold the fastest record on all of our courses don't you?" He asked already knowing the answer. The other racers decided to ignore Sydney's score since they knew they could never beat it.

"Yes sire, I do."

Garry turned back around and stared into his mirror before adjusting his crown. "You're my best racer and my most loyal subject Sydney. I count on you more than I do on anyone else. That is why I expect you to crush these Candy Kingdom rejects. Once I marry that tom boy of a princess, I'll be the absolute ruler of Sugar Rush." He said balling his fist up.

Sydney simply stood there. Honestly he wasn't comfortable with using Vanellope like this. She seemed nice enough and her friends all seemed to think she was ruling fine on her own. But he was Garry's right hand man, and he wouldn't question him. "Of course sire."

Garry turned back around with a wicked smile on his face. "The Gum guards were listening in on their little conversation in the kart factory. Now we know who they'll be racing on what tracks. We have every advantage on them."

Sydney looked worried. "Your majesty, with all due respect, I don't think this is necessary. We can beat them without having to resort to tricks." Listening in on them was cheating, and he didn't want to cheat, he hated cheating.

Garry chuckled. "I know you can beat them Sydney. I have the utmost faith in you. But this is just a little… insurance." Garry said. "And don't forget, I decide what is necessary and what is not. Though your opinion is duly noted."

"Yes sire."

"Oh, and you and Cindy will be racing on the track that goes through all of Sugar Rush. You'll be up against the pumpkin brat from earlier." He said balling his fist up. Gloyd Orangboar, that little brat had tried to stare him down. "I want you to beat him especially. I have something in mind for him. You're dismissed."

Sydney tipped his hat before walking out. The minute he left the room Garry went back out to his balcony and looked down at Vanellope. "A distasteful little brat, but I suppose I can fake her death when I become king." He said straightening his crown. "And if all else fails, I still have THAT planned." He said looking over at an egg near his bed.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, first off I want to give out a huge thanks for all the reviews. It's gives me a real confidence booster in writing the next chapter. There are a few things I want to talk about. One is obviously the grammer errors. A lot of people pointed them out, and I actually took a look back and realized that it was going to be a problem if I didn't stop being lazy. I tried to be a lot more careful about the errors in this chapter, but i'm still am currently looking for a Beta Writer just to be sure. **

**The other thing is something a anonymous reviewer brought up about drawing up my OC. I personally can't draw with a dime, so if anyone knows someone on Deviant art or something that would be willing to draw them, that would be cool. **

**That's pretty much it. Thanks again guys. Read and Review.  
**


	4. Friendly Advice

The large ham handed wrecker scratched his head as he tried to make sense of what his little friend had just told him. The two, along with Felix and Calhoun sat in the middle of her throne room, or office, as they picked through what had happened to lead to these events. "So, let me get this straight. There's an update in Sugar Rush."

"Yes."

"With new characters?"

"Uh-huh."

"And this Garry guy is their king?"

"Correct."

"And you guys didn't get along?"

"That's it."

"So you made a bet?"

"Right."

"And if you lose, you'll be married to him."

Vanellope nodded. "That's pretty much the gist of it."

He reached up and rubbed his temples. "H-how did this happen? And why did you accept getting married as part of the bet? You're not even old enough to be married." Ralph said in disbelief.

She snapped and pointed at him. "Aha, but technically my game has been here for… aw fudge, I'm still not old enough to be married." She said rubbing her chin.

"What were you thinking little lady! Accepting a marriage proposal at such a young age, you're supposed to wait when you get older and you find the right guy!" Felix said worried.

"He's right sugar snap. Marriage isn't all thrills and chills. It's hard work and commitment and you ain't ready for it." She warned. She saw a worried look on Felix's face. "Course it's much easier when you have a guy like Fix-it." She said pinching his cheek.

He blushed and Vanellope rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not getting married okay. We're going to win and when we do we'll have all the candy in Sugar Rush. Of course it isn't about the candy, it's about pride and respect."

"Young lady, I think that pride of yours may have gotten you in a heaping helping of trouble. What will happen if by some chance you actually do lose?" Felix asked.

"Then Ralph can give me away at the wedding." She joked. Everyone stared at her shocked. "It was a joke. You know those things that people are supposed to laugh at."

Ralph smacked his forehead. "This isn't a joke Vanellope. This is serious."

She rolled her eyes. "I know stinkbrain. Look, there is no way we can lose. Two of the tracks are ours and we have our best racers on them. Plus Gloyd and Adorabeezle are on the track that goes through every one of the stages and he knows the short cuts like the back of his hand."

Ralph seemed even more confused. "So hold on, you're mirage is at stake, and if push comes to shove then your lost hope will be the biggest jokester in Sugar Rush?" He asked.

"Yep." Vanellope said confidently.

"Ring the wedding bells." Calhoun whispered.

"Honey." Felix said shaking her arm.

Ralph rubbed his hands through his hair. "What about Rancis, or Candlehead, or Taffyta? I thought those guys were the top racers. Shouldn't you have them on the hardest track then?"

"If everything goes as planned we'll get three wins before Gloyd even needs to race. I'm absolutely sure we can take our tracks easy, and I just need Snowanna and Candlehead, or Crumbelina and Jubileena to win one of their races. Then we won't even need to get to the final race."

"Don't you think they have an advantage on their courses though?" Felix asked.

Vanellope waved her hand. "Please, they've only been there a few days before us. They couldn't have mastered those tracks that quickly."

"But seriously, you're banking on Gloyd as the last hope?" Ralph said. "I just think maybe you should rethink the order just in case."

She crossed her arms. "Look, even if Gloyd does end up having to race, I think he'll do fine. I trust ALL of my racers and I believe if push came to shove he'd pull through."

Ralph sighed. "Alright, if you really think that's the best shot."

"I do. So, are you coming to watch the races stink brain?" She asked sticking her fist up.

"Of course President puke breath." He said fist bumping her.

Calhoun looked curious. "So this Gloyd kid, why is there such a fuss about him anyway? He a stray soldier or something?" Calhoun had taken to Vanellope like a sort of mother figure, and while she wasn't too familiar with any of the Sugar Rush racers and knew they used to pick on her, so if any of them needed straightening out, she would be more than happy to do it.

"No, Gloyd is kind of a prankster. It's just Sometimes his pranks go a little too far is all." She said swinging her legs back and forth in her chair. "Especially when it comes to pranks on me."

Ralph now looked even more worried. "Is he going to be a problem, because if he is you know I can have a little talk with him right?" He said cracking his fists.

Vanellope quickly waved her hands. "No, no, no! It's fine. He'd been really serious about this whole race thing. He hasn't pulled a prank on me since we started practicing."

Ralph nodded. "Okay, but if he gets off track you know where to find me." Ralph said getting up. "Well, I got to get over to Bad-anon. My turn to bring the snacks today so…" He picked up his ginger bread made chair, which had a Rice Crispy cushion on it. "I'll need this."

"And I have to pay a little visit to the street fighter gang." He pulled out his golden hammer and tossed it into the air. "They get battered and bruised after a hard day's work, but I can fix it." He said proudly.

Calhoun began to followed her husband out but Vanellope cut her off. "Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" She asked. Ralph and Felix turned to her but Vanellope waved them off. "Not you two, this is just like some private girl stuff."

"That's enough to scare me away." Ralph said quickly walking out.

"Say no more." Felix said running after him.

Calhoun turned back and took a seat in front of Vanellope. Ever since the Cy-bug incident Ralph and the others had kept an eye on Vanellope to make sure that she was adjusting well and the other kids weren't still bothering her, and Calhoun had taken on a mother like role to her.

She was certainly strict, but she was also kind and gave Vanellope plenty of advice when it came to certain female issues that would have Ralph and Felix fleeing in fear. "So tell me what the problem is short stack?"

"Okay, well it's kind of weird."

"I chew weird up and spit it out kid."

"It's a boy problem." Calhoun sighed and sat back in her chair. So this was going to be a little more complicated than she thought. "I thought about asking Felix since he's the lovey dovey one between you two but I didn't think he'd be all that peachy keen, or whatever he says, about it being Gloyd."

Calhoun smiled. "So you have a thing for the little prankster?"

Vanellope blushed. "Look, I don't know about this whole crush stuff. I don't even know if I have a crush or am just sick or something. How are you even supposed to know when you like a guy?" She asked.

Calhoun thought for a moment. "Well I suppose for someone your age it starts with this warm weird feelings in your gut." She said.

"Like a vurp?" She could tell Calhoun was confused. "It's like a burp and a vomit at the same time."

"Well, I guess it is something like that. Then you get all nervous, your start blushing, acting weird. Your men all of a sudden try to get slick because they think you're going soft…" She balled her fist up and looked angry. "And next thing you know you you're forced to crack down harder than an iron jawed squirrel on an acorn."

Vanellope looked at her for a few seconds. "Okay… so judging by the first and less disturbing half of that I think I really might like him."

Calhoun sat back and crossed her arms. "Well if you do then I would wait until this whole marriage stuff blew over. If you win-" She said Vanellope scowl at her. "I mean WHEN you win, just talk to him." She then pulled her blaster from its holster. "And if that doesn't work I can always just turn Gumball into a pin cushion with this bad boy." She said twirling her blaster on her finger.

Vanellope smiled. "I'll keep that option in mind." She jumped up and then began heading for the door. "Thanks for the advice Calhoun. I'm going to go check on the rest of the guys and see how their doing."

* * *

Snowanna quickly downed a large cup of chocolate milk and then laid back on a large chair made of marshmallow. She drifted down the chocolate milk river alongside Candlehead "I have to admit girl, this Rocky Road stage is pretty tough on the track, but these marshmallows make for pretty great chairs." She said laying back.

Candlehead nodded and swallowed down a mouth full of Marshmallow. "Yeah, and they're really tasty too." She said. As they kept floating down Candlehead couldn't help but feel a bit worried. "Hey Snowanna, don't you think we should still be practicing. I mean we are on the other guys course so we should be trying to learn as much about it as we can right?"

Snowanna sighed. "We've been practicing ever since yesterday. I think we earned an hour or two of lounging around. Besides, we've got those guys beaten. They may be their tracks but they haven't even been here long enough to use them, and I haven't seen them practicing since we've been here."

"Oh yeah." Candlehead said. Snowanna was right, they hadn't seen any sign of them since they began practicing. She was sure they would have some practice on the tracks, but they had been here at most a week, so they couldn't have mastered them by now. "Wait, so does this mean they're that confident. Aren't they underestimating us?" She asked curiously.

"Who knows and who cares. The point is we'll be ready and they'll be rusty, and with the kingdom on the line I'll take a win anyway I can get it." Snowanna said putting her feet up.

Candlehead again looked confused. "Wait a minute, I thought Garry only wanted to marry Vanellope, not take the kingdom."

Snowanna rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Candlehead, don't you know what happened when a princess marries a prince?" Candlehead shrugged innocently. "Unbelievable. When a prince marries a princess he becomes a King and she becomes a queen."

"But I thought she was a president?"

"She is, but the Candy Kingdom is still a Kingdom, and since she's in charge if he marries her he's king. Which means not only would he be the ruler of his kingdom, but he'd rule our kingdom too. He'd have control over all of Sugar rush." Snowanna explained.

"That sounds bad."

"I don't think it'll be." They looked over and were shocked to see Fryer Dough floating behind them. Although rather than floating on a marshmallow he was upside-down and seemed to be floating on his doughnut hat. "Hi." He said waving.

"Hi." Candlehead said waving back.

Snowanna sat up and glared at him. "Hey! How long have you been there?!" She demanded.

Dough seemed lost in thought for a moment. "I guess I fell in sometime last night and have been floating around the river ever since." He said smiling. "Manny will notice I'm gone when he wakes up and fish me out like he always does."

Snowanna rolled her eyes. "I guess we know who the Candlehead of your group is now."

"But he's got a doughnut hat." Candlehead said confused.

Snowanna slapped her face and then looked back at Dough. If he really was as airheaded as she was then maybe she could get some good info out of him. "So Dough boy, have you heard anything good from yours king, or your partner?" She asked.

"Well, there was a meeting between the racers last night but I wasn't allowed because they said I'm a blabber mouth. But Manny told me to come here afterwards and then I fell."

She thought for a moment. A meeting, and then telling Dough to come here. That must have meant he and his partner were going to be on this track. So they would be up against Dough and that Manny Maplelog guy.

She looked down at Dough who was struggling to free himself from his hat, but eventually he managed to pry himself out and sat in his hat like it was an inner tube. "Well I think we can chalk one up for our side." She mumbled.

"They leave you out of stuff to?" Candlehead asked.

"Yeah. Manny is really patient but Garry says I'm not smart cause I have dough for brains, but I can't find any no matter how far I dig up my ears." He said sticking his picky in his ear.

"I know what you mean. Taffyta used to say I wasn't too bright, but I have a candle on my head so I have to be bright."

"You're candle looks bright to me."

"Thanks. I hope you find that dough in your brains."

Snowanna couldn't believe they were having this conversation, if that was even what you could call it. "Okay Dough, let me ask you something. Did Garry, Manny, or any of your other friends say anything about us?"

Dough grabbed his chin and looked up in thought. "Um… oh I know. I remember something that Manny had said when you guys left." Snowanna leaned in listening intently. "He said that all you girls were kind of cute, but you should spend more time in the mirror before you hit the race track." He said proud to remember something.

"I meant something useful!" Snowanna shouted. Dough cringed and then pouted. He turned away from her and she began rubbing her temples. "Okay look, I'm sorry for snapping at you, can you please tell me anything else they said."

Dough looked over his shoulder at her and then turned onto his stomach. He kicked his way over to Candlehead and then whispered into her ear. Candlehead nodded as she listened to him and then looked back up at Snowanna. "He says he doesn't want to talk to you."

"Obviously." Snowanna said. "Well if you won't talk to me will you talk to her?" She said pointing at Candlehead.

He whispered in her ear again. "He says yes."

Everyone was silent for a moment. "Talk to him!" Snowanna said.

"What do you want me to talk about?" Candlehead asked.

"Uh! You're both half baked!" Snowanna complained. She could deal with Candlehead by herself, but with both of these two here it seemed like she was trying to solve a Rubik's cube.

Candlehead frowned. "I'm beginning to see why he doesn't want to talk to you." Dough leaned up and whispered in her ear again. "Yeah, it does look kind of funny." Candlehead said giggling.

Snowanna glared at them both. If they were talking about her afro, they'd regret it. "Candlehead, would you PLEASE ask him if he heard anything important from his friends about the Grand Prix?" She said running thin on patience.

Candlehead leaned down and the two whispered into each other's ears. After a few seconds Candlehead sat back up. "He says he didn't hear anything about the Prix, but he heard Garry talking to himself about an egg."

Snowanna looked confused. An egg? What did that have to do with anything? He must have just overheard him talking to his chef or something. Candy Eggs were pretty rare in Sugar Rush, so it wasn't surprising Dough heard him making a big deal about it. "Well that's useless." She mumbled laying back in her chair.

She heard them mumbling again. "He said you're welcome. But I think he was being kind of sarcastic. Were you being sarcastic?" She asked looking at Dough. He nodded yes.

"Uh, THANK YOU for talking to us Dough." She said annoyed.

"He says thank you for real this time."

Before Snowanna could drown herself in the river they bumped into something. They looked forward and saw Manny standing in a boat made from half an almond. "Sorry to interrupt ladies, but I have business to attend to." He said as paddled his way past them with a candy cane oar and then grabbed Dough out of the water. "I was afraid I would find you here."

"I fell..." Dough said frowning.

"I know buddy. Don't worry about it. We'll just have to be more careful when practicing around here from now on." He said pulling his friend into the boat.

"So you two are the ones racing on the Rocky Road." Snowanna said.

Manny smirked. "Of course, but to be frank any one of our teams could race on any track and still be more than a match for you all." He said cockily. Snowanna gritted her teeth at him. "Oh, looks like you have a fiery temper under all that hair."

"No, but I got a whole bunch of scenarios where we leave you two in the dust." She snapped back.

He chuckled as Dough adjusted his hat. "You know, that pretty face doesn't mean a thing if you can't keep that trap shut."

"What did you say?!" Snowanna yelled.

"He said that pretty face doesn't mean a thing if-"

"I heard what he said Candlehead!"

Manny pulled out a caramel apple and then bit off it. "I apologize in advance girls. Personally I would have slowed down a bit and let you think you have a chance at winning, but by order of prince Gumball I'm going to win as quickly as possible. Don't be embarrassed if you get lapped a few times."

"Please, we'll run you off the track so fast your head will spin." Snowanna said snapping her fingers.

"That sharp tongue is going to get you in more trouble then you're ready for."

"Said the boy with the dorky hat." She said placing her hands on her hips.

Snowanna glared at him as he just smirked. "Fine, I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see who's going to come out on top. C'mon Dough, let's split." Dough nodded and picked up a candy cane oar. The two began paddling off.

"Bye Candlehead." Dough said waving.

"Bye-bye Dough." She said waving back.

Snowanna glared at them as they left. "I really, REALLY don't want to lose to that guy." She said balling her fist up.

* * *

Gloyd laid against a Candy Cane tree and tossed a small box up and down. He wanted to stop by and give it to Vanellope, but seeing her with Ralph and the others quickly dissuaded him. Besides, Adorabeezle convinced him it was better to wait until this whole wedding bet was done and over with before trying to make his move. Otherwise, things would get awkward.

He caught the box in his hand and then opened it. It was a candy wristband that he had crafted himself. It wasn't nearly as girly as a necklace or a ring, but still sent a clear message. He looked down at the heart shaped candy that bonded the band together. "I hope this whole stupid thing works out."

"So you have a thing for her. That explained the attitude you have with Garry." Gloyd looked up and saw Sydney. He glared at him but Sydney quickly raised his hand. "Relax, I have no plans on causing any trouble. I just want to talk to you."

"We have nothing to talk about." Gloyd said turning to walk away.

"Yes we do. I need to show you something."

"What?" Gloyd asked.

"Follow me." Gloyd rolled her eyes and followed after Sydney.

He led Gloyd to his Kart and then signaled for him to jump into the back. Gloyd eyed him suspiciously. "You're not trying to off me before the grand prix are you?"

"I wouldn't dream of it. Just hope in, the place I want to show you is not that far from here."

Gloyd reluctantly jumped in and then Sydney drove off. They went past Hersey's Highway and towards the end of a cliff near the road. Sydney stopped the kart and the jumped out. He walked towards the edge of the cliff and then pointed down. "What is it?" Gloyd asked.

Sydney sat down and patted the spot. "This is the spot where I was essentially born."

Gloyd looked shocked. "What do you mean 'born'? You're an upgrade right?"

"You're half right. I'm part of an upgrade, but I'm a locked character."

Gloyd walked over towards him. "What do you mean?"

Sydney looked serious. "Did you know there are games outside of the arcade?" Gloyd looked slightly surprised. He heard rumors about other consoles, but he never thought them true. "I know, it's crazy but it's the truth. People outside of the arcade have home, or even handheld consoles they can bring anywhere."

Gloyd looked at him curiously. "Okay, as weird as it is it's believable. What does it half to do with you?"

"It has everything to do with me. You see, on this upgrade I'm a locked character. I'm not supposed to be usable to players."

"But you're here, and you're obviously usable, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is I wasn't always. On home and handheld consoles, Cindy and I can be unlocked with ease, but on an arcade console which has a roster reset every day, we were never supposed to be freed. We were meant to just be stored data."

"So how did you break out?" Gloyd asked.

He shook his head. "I didn't, Garry freed us. I'm sure Vanellope told you about her access to the code."

"She did." Gloyd said. Vanellope did explain the code to them after the King Candy business, but no one really talked about it, and was rarely used. The only time she ever used it was to fix up Diet Cola Mountain.

"Garry has the same access. He used the codes to free us. Cindy doesn't know, and I don't want her too. But I remember it clearly."

Gloyd glared at him. "So that's why you serve him? A debt?"

"No, he said we were free to do whatever we wanted. We chose to serve him. It's not out of some debt or ransom, it's loyalty." He said turning back towards Gloyd.

Gloyd had to respect that, even if it was for that creep. "So why are you telling me this?"

"Because I could tell you were wondering how a guy like me ended up working for an hombre like Garry. That, and to show you he's not as bad as you think."

Gloyd rolled her eyes. "Okay, so he freed you. That's great, it really is, but you can't tell me this whole marriage thing isn't fishy."

"It's not my place to say. I just do what he tells me." Sydney reasoned. "But as a fair warning it isn't a game to Garry. He plays for keeps. A little advice, if we have to race for a tiebreaker, throw the race."

Gloyd narrowed his eyes at him. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a warning." He repeated. He walked back to the kart and Gloyd followed him. Once they were both in, he started the engine. "Oh, and please don't tell anyone else about this. Especially Cindy, she has no idea what we really are."

As they began driving Gloyd looked curious. "If you didn't want anyone to know then why did you tell me?"

"It's like you said, you have your loyalties. You're as loyal to Vanellope as I am to Garry. I just thought you would understand." He said. "Garry needs me, he's my best friend."

Gloyd couldn't say he didn't get him. "I understand, but you know if he's really your friend he won't expect you to just be at his beck and call."

Sydney frowned. "If I didn't he'd just banish me, and I wouldn't blame him."

"Well you should. And if you ever did decide you leave you know you're always welcomed in our part of Sugar Rush."

"I'm honored, but I think I'm where I should be." He said. "…you know, a small part of me is hoping you guys win. Vanellope seems nice and I can tell you care about her a lot more then Garry does."

Gloyd sighed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Is a Gummy Bat Blind?"

"…I… I don't know."

"Yes. It's that obvious." He said. The rest of the ride was silent, well, except for the sound of Gloyd slamming his head on the back of Sydney's seat the whole way back.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Yes, I know. A two and a half week period of no updates. I'm sure you all want to kill me. The first week of no updates was because I was on a week long cruise, the second was... writers block. I had a very hard time with this chapter since I wasn't sure how to progress to the actual Grand Prix. But after some thought I decided there would be one more chapter after this until it starts. **

**Another thing. I've read through all the reviews(Anonymous/Logged In) And I've goten a few different opinions about the coupling. Now the main focus is Gloyd/Vanellope of course, but there WILL be Rancis/Taffyta and Swizzle/Minty. Now I was going to do a little something with my OC's as well, but I've gotten a few mixed reviews. Some saying there should be OC coupling(Like Larry/Jubileena or Jimmy/Crumbelina) and some saying there shouldn't. So i'm asking what you all think. Should I go with OC couplings or try and lay off them. I might put a poll up on my profile about it.  
**

**I've also been considering a little side project. A fanfic about the Sugar Rush kids, but in high school. Also wanted your opinions on whether it's a good idea and if I should throw my OC in there as well.  
**

**And Last but certainly not least, I'm proud to say that someone decided to draw my OC characters, and you can already see Larry and Jimmy at LostPens account at Deviantart. Shout out to Words From the Moon(Her Fanfiction account) For drawing them.  
**

**If there are any grammer errors in this chapter it's just because I finished this chapter late at night and was way to lazy to read through it thoroughly. I just skimmed...  
**


	5. Candy Coated Conflict

Taffyta wiped the sweat off her forehead and then slipped her hat back on. She laid back trying to catch her breath. She'd be driving all day. Rancis was honestly surprised to see her like this. It was rare that Taffyta pushed herself to the point of sweating, but then again he could tell she really wanted to win. Gumball hadn't just insulted Vanellope, he insulted all the racers, and Taffyta never took kindly to being insulted.

Rancis reached down and grabbed his canteen, which was full of chocolate milk. He held it out towards Taffyta who gladly took it. She drunk down a few mouthfuls and then handed it back to him. "Thank you." She said wiping her mouth. "We've been up and down this course so many times it's impossible for us to lose." She said confidently.

He nodded in agreement. At this point, he didn't think he'd be able to eat, sleep, or drink without visualizing driving on this course. "Especially since those guys just got here. No matter how good they are even they wouldn't be able to learn all the ups and down of these tracks in the few days that they've been here." Rancis said breaking off a small chunk from the candy cane tree they were leaning on.

He broke the chunk in two and handed her a piece. They nibbled away at their snack. "But I'm still a little worried about it. They all seem so confident, like it doesn't matter how unprepared they are. You think their up to something, like planning to cheat?" He asked her.

She shrugged. "Hey, even if they did decide to go and cheat it wouldn't matter. We're just that good." She tossed his canteen back to him.

He drunk some down and looked at her. "Hey Taff, maybe you should take a break for now. The races are tomorrow and you don't want to wear yourself out. Be a waste to learn every inch of the track if you fall asleep at the wheel and crashed."

She stretched her arms out. "Please, we don't even race tomorrow, and I'm not even tired yet." She tried to stop her yawn but couldn't. "Okay, so maybe I'm just a little tired, but there's a lot on the line here. Don't blame me if I get a little bit competitive."

"A little bit? You go crazy with this kind of stuff."

"That's because I'm in the moment of heated competition."

He rolled his eyes. "You got to be kidding me Taff, you're ALWAYS been this. I mean usually you don't know when to stop, but now it's like you'd don't even know how to stop." He said breaking off another piece of candy cane. "You did the same thing when Vanellope started racing again. Remember the time you lost and you trashed all of the Candy Corn fields?"

She pouted and crossed her arms. "She kept on cheating. I don't care if it's a power of her or not, that glitch thing has to be cheating. I don't care what that leader board says, I'm the best racer on the track." She said confidently.

He shrugged. "I never said you weren't the best racer. I always thought you were the best racer. I just wish you'd stop going out of your way to prove it to everybody."

She looked surprised. "You think I'm the best racer?"

"Well duh, I always thought you were the best racer." He said.

"Not Vanellope?"

He shook his head. "Of course not, I mean we're friends now, but c'mon Taff. You and I have always been… you know." He said shrugging his shoulders.

She looked at him curiously. "No, I don't know. What have we always been?"

He sat up and looked a bit nervous. "Well, you know. Like… I don't know." He said scratching his head. "We just have been close."

She raised her eyebrow at him as he took another drink from his canteen. "So, like a couple?" She suggested.

He did a spit take. "What? No! That is not what I meant at all! I just meant we always hang out and stuff, and we know each other pretty well, and…" He stopped when he began to realize what he was describing. Of fudge, they were like a couple! "We are not a couple!" Deny, deny, deny.

"What's wrong with being a couple with me?" Taffyta asked clearly offended. He opened his mouth but she spoke first. "You better choose your next few words wisely Fluggerbutter."

"I didn't say anything was wrong with it! I was just… I…" He struggled to think of something to say. If he didn't watch his words he'd be in serious trouble. She looked at him waiting for him to speak and he gulped.

Suddenly they heard a loud crash. Taffyta looked over towards the sound and Rancis looked relieved. "C'mon, let's go check it out." She said getting up.

"Or we could just stay here. Or better yet, we can go home!" He called after her. She kept walking and he sighed. He then reluctantly followed her.

As they got closer to where they heard the sound they saw someone walking with two large candy cane logs over their shoulders. It was Fang. "Hey, you're that guy that from the Sweet Tooth kingdom." Rancis said. "What are you doing here?"

Fang turned and looked at them only for a moment. He turned back and began walking again. Rancis raised his eyebrow and looked annoyed. Was he ignoring them? "Hey! We're talking to you!" Taffyta yelled. Fang kept walking. "C'mon, we have to follow him!"

"Aw c'mon Taff, can't we just head home?" Rancis said sighing.

"No! What if he's trying to rig the track or something?" She said running after Fang.

Rancis had to admit, she had a point. He ran after her. When they caught up they could see Fang walking towards a small fire. "Did you get the firewood?" They saw Tea pulling said pulling out a large metal sheet. She headed towards the fire and then saw Taffyta and Rancis. "Oh, we have guests." She said smiling.

Taffyta eyed her suspiciously. "What exactly are you and that Ryu wannabe doing here? Trying to fix the track so you can win?"

Tea shook her head and then set the metal sheet over a small table over the fire. Fang threw the candy cane logs into the fire. "We were practicing on this course earlier. We're planning on sleeping here until the race starts, so I was making us some dinner. We're having chocolate chip cookie dough dumplings."

Taffyta and Rancis looked at each other, and then back at them. "You two are the ones who are racing on this track?" Taffyta asked.

Tea nodded. "I'm surprised you guys followed Fang all the way here. Usually he puts people off with his silent treatment. He doesn't really talk to anyone but me." They looked over at Fang who sat up again a candy cane tree. "Please, come and sit. I should be finished with dinner in no time." She said pulling up a large ball of cookie dough.

They once again looked at each other and then decided to take a seat where they were. "I think we need a little more firewood so the dough will soften up. Would you mind fetching just a few more logs?" She asked looking at Fang.

He got up and began walking off. Taffyta elbowed Rancis who looked at her surprised. "Go with him so I can talk to her. Maybe I can find out what they're really up to." She whispered.

Rancis frowned and then got up. "Hey, why don't I help you out with the firewood?" Rancis said faking a smile.

Fang stared at him and grunted. Rancis frowned at him. Was he brushing him off? Who did this guy think he was? "Be nice Fang. Besides, that way Taffyta and I can have some girl talk. I haven't gotten the chance to speak with anyone from the Candy Kingdom yet." Tea said. Fang grunted again and then walked off, and Rancis reluctantly followed. It was still better than being drill by Taffyta with questions.

Taffyta watched as they walked off. The minute they were out of site Tea began to easily reshape and move the dough with her hands. Taffyta smirked. "You pulled that off on purpose."

Tea smiled back. "I figured it was about time you and I could have a little heart to heart. There's so much I want to learn about the Candy Kingdom. The tracks, the scenery, the costumes…" She grew a sly smirk on her face. "…the boys."

Taffyta rubbed her hands together. "I don't know about the scenery, but boys and gossip are definitely my forte."

Tea kept shaping the dough, but her eyes were glued on Taffyta. "Sweet. Cindy never likes the whole gossip thing. She's my best friend and all, but she's a huge tomboy. So from what I've seen there are only three boys at the Candy Kingdom. What are they like?"

Taffyta shrugged. "Nothing special. Swizzle thinks he is this super daredevil guy. Minty is always trying to keep him out of trouble or patching him up when he gets hurt. Then there's Gloyd who's such a prankster. He's got a huge crush on Vanellope."

"Oh, you mean the one with the orange hat. I saw how he snatched Garry's hang away. I thought it was so cute he was jealous." She said giggling. "And what about Rancis?"

Taffyta pulled her lollipop out of her mouth. "He's okay I guess. I mean he's kind of a pretty boy, but he's not as reckless or goofy as the others."

"So you like him?" Tea asked. Taffyta looked up surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry, I've offended you."

"No, you didn't. I just guess it just caught me off guard. Rancis and me… we're just friends."

Tea began splitting the dough into small balls. "Are you guys friends, or does HE want you to be friends? I know how bullheaded boys can be when it comes to the romance thing."

Taffyta shrugged her shoulders. "I guess you and Fang are the same way?"

"He never wants to think about anything except racing and training. It's such a pain. Whenever I want to get him to do something I practically have to drag him there. All the boys in our kingdom are so stubborn."

Taffyta bit down on her lollipop. "You mean like that Larry guy, the flirt."

Mei laughed. "Larry is the least of your worries. He's a little flirty sometimes, but he's pretty much a gentlemen. Sydney and Fang are just the strong and silent type. Then there's Dough. He's so naïve, but he's such a sweetie."

"They sound way cooler than the boys in our Kingdom."

Tea shook her head. "We have a few bad apples. The twins are like little kids. They still think girl's are icky. Manny is such an arrogant guy. The only one he treats nicely is Dough. Jimmy might be the worst though."

Taffyta frowned. "You mean that Jawbreaker kid that keeps bagging on Vanellope. What's his problem anyway?"

"He's just bitter because he can never beat Sydney. Before Sydney and Cindy showed up he was the fastest racer in our kingdom. He acts all cool, but is always trying so hard to get to the top of the record board. I don't even think he sleeps anymore."

That sounded almost like her. "Well, he's wasting his time. Once we beat you guys we'll have the top spot on both score boards."

Tea smiled. "We'll just have to see about that then won't we?" She finished separating all the balls of dough and then lifted the trey up. "Have a dough dumpling."

* * *

Rancis followed after Fang who walked in silence. "So do you ever talk? Better yet, can you talk?" He asked.

Fang stopped for a second and then sniffed the air. "She finished making the Dough Dumplings. Let's go back." Fang said turning around.

Rancis looked at him confused. He watched as Fang walked past him back towards the girls, but then he shook his head and went after him. "Wait a second, didn't the girl send us to get firewood? We can't come back empty handed."

Fang looked back at him and snorted. "You didn't actually believe that did you? They only said that so they could chat it up while we were gone."

"If you knew then why did you go?"

"Because Tea wanted me to, and she's my partner. If she wants a little girl time who am I to say no." He said reaching back and tightening his headband.

Rancis looked closely at the piece of cloth. "So, I guess you were supposed to be a copy of Ryu huh? I didn't think the game designers did knock offs."

Fang glared at him. "It's not a design. Tea made this for me, by hand. But I guess you wouldn't know anything about hard work or effort would you."

Rancis glared back at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means it's impossible for someone like me, to lose to someone like you. You're hands are too clean."

Rancis looked confused. "…I still don't know what that means."

"You've probably never gotten you're hands dirty a day in your life. You're probably the type who is more worried about you appearance and looking flashy than you are about racing and hard work. I have some of the lowest stats in the game, but I worked hard to work my way to third on the scoreboard. I'll never lose to a pampered prissy boy like you."

He turned and kept walking and Rancis looked angry. Maybe he was pretty concerned about his appearance, and he did like to have a certain flare when winning his races, but that didn't mean he didn't try hard! Come race day he would show this guy just how dirty his hands could get!

* * *

Garry stood on a balcony and looked down at Vanellope. She watched as Gloyd and Adorabeezle practiced on the track. Garry smiled. "She seems quite smitten with this Gloyd fellow. I'll have to make sure to save something special for him in your race." He said looking back at Sydney and Cindy. "I expect you two to crush them thoroughly."

They both nodded. "Of course sire. We'll be sure to leave them in the dust." Sydney said. He looked over at Cindy who simply shook her head. She looked sad for some reason.

Garry seemed to notice as well. "Cindy, is something wrong?" He asked worriedly. Despite what others may have thought, Garry actually did care about the Syrupshot's. They were still his subjects, but he liked to think of them as friends.

She seemed to snap out of her daze and then faked a smile. "Of course not Prince Garry, we'll be sure to wipe the floor with those slowpokes."

Garry smiled. "Good, once I rule over Sugar Rush we'll be able to have everything. Think of it, an entire game under my control." He said taking in a deep breath.

"It'll be great sire." Sydney said tipping his hat.

Garry turned towards them and smirked. "Think about it Cindy, you could put up the wedding decorations, and you'll be my best man of course." Garry joked putting his arm around Sydney's shoulders. He was simply joking of course. He couldn't care less about the wedding, it wasn't like it was going to be permanent.

Cindy on the other hand didn't know that. As they began to walk out Sydney looked over his shoulder. "Are you coming along Sis?" He asked.

"I'll catch up." She said still staring off the balcony. They shrugged and walked out leaving her to herself. She glared down at the Princess of Sugar Rush. Vanellope Von Schweetz. As much as she hadn't wanted to admit it, she was jealous of her. It stung that Garry, whom she had a crush on for some time, chose Vanellope over her.

She simply couldn't understand it. How could she have misread her and Garry's interactions so badly? She thought that they were so close, but the minute she walked in he was ready to take her hand in marriage. "What does she have that I don't?" She said clinging to the balcony. "She is no better than I am."

"It's not about who's better and who's not." She quickly turned her head around and saw Jimmy walking in. "You should have known he'd pull something like this."

"What do you mean?" She said glaring at him. Jimmy had always hated Garry. He would try and defy his every order and if it wasn't for that fact that Garry could execute him, she was sure he'd have tried to do something more drastic.

"It's not that hard to see. He doesn't love Vanellope, he just wants control of Sugar Rush." Jimmy said leaning against the doorway. "He's a power hungry tyrant."

Cindy turned towards him. "He's out king! And you shouldn't be talking about him like that! He just wants to give us everything-"

Jimmy cut her off. "Oops, I forgot how stupid girls are when their in love." He said taking his hate off. "It doesn't matter how much sugar you cover it in, a sour patch snake is still sour."

"You better watch your mouth!" She snapped.

Jimmy frowned. "Wake up Cindy! He doesn't care about you, your brother, or any of us! He just cares about ruling the stupid Kingdom! You're just a tool he's using to do it!"

"That's not true! He cares about us! You are just jealous! You've always been jealous of him and Sydney!" She said angrily.

Jimmy crossed his arms. "You just don't get it do you? What if we do win and he takes over the kingdom? What if there's a better racer over at the Candy Kingdom?"

"Then they'll just be better!" Cindy argued. "Stop acting like you know so much! I bet you're just angry that he's getting married while that Candy Kingdom gal you been after is treating you worst than a cotton candy cat at a waffle wolves convention!"

Jimmy grunted. "You are so stupid! He's treats you two better because you're the best, and you're too blind to see it! You're both just his devil dogs!" He snapped back. "You're even more stupid if you thought he ever liked you! The only thing he's ever cared about is himself! He UNLOCKED you, so he could use you!"

She looked shocked. "He did not unlock me, we were already here like the others! You're a liar!"

"Ask your brother, he knows. So does Garry. Not surprising that they both lied to you."

"You shut up!" She looked furious and then pulled up her pistol. She shot his hat off sticking it to the wall with chocolate syrup.

Jimmy looked back towards her and then smirked. "You could stick me to the wall for all I care, but that isn't going to make Garry care about you anymore." He began walking towards her. "I may not be having any luck with the ladies, but at least I didn't lose someone I liked to someone else."

Cindy looked at him and then her eyes filled with tears. She began running out and pushed past him. As she headed out the door Larry came in. "Hey Cindy, que pasa-" She pushed past him and he looked confused. He then saw Jimmy and frowned. "Hermano, what did you do?"

Jimmy walked over and tore his hat of the wall. He began picking the chocolate off and eating it. "I told the truth. Someone has to around this dump." He said. "This is actually pretty good."

Larry sighed. "I can't believe this Hermano. You know if she tells her brother or Garry you are going to be in huge trouble." He warned. "Garry already got on you about conspiring against him, if he figures out you hurt Cindy and talked down about him, he'll throw you in the dungeon for sure."

Jimmy shrugged. "I don't care. I'm tired of acting like everything around here is fine. Ever since they showed up he's been treating them like their gold, and we're all miserable."

"I know, but you still shouldn't have hurt her feelings like that."

Jimmy turned around and scowled. "She never cares about our feelings. The stupid Syrupshots are too blind to see that everyone else around here is treated like a cavity. Remember back when WE were the top dogs, when everyone was happy, before THEY got unlocked." He said sighing. "I don't think I could handle him taking over the whole game."

Larry chuckled. "You may have to get used to it. I doubt we're going to lose this grand prix."

Jimmy frowned. "Not if I can help it." He mumbled as he began walking out.

Larry looked worried. "Whoa, wait a second hermano. You're not going to do something dangerous or something that you're going to regret later, are you?" He asked.

"You don't have to worry about that." Larry looked relieved. He knew how crazy Jimmy could be sometimes. "I'm not going to regret it." Now he looked worried again.

* * *

Gloyd headed towards his house and stretched his arms. He had been practicing all day, and now he just wanted to hit his pillow and drift off to sleep. As he approached the door he rubbed his eyes and yawned. When he finished he reached forward to push his door open, but felt something else. Something sturdy. "Hey there buddy."

He yawned and then looked up and smiled. "Oh, hi Ralph…" He kept walking forward until he realized what he'd just said. His eyes shot open and he was completely awake now. "Ralph!"

He turned and made a break for his kart, but Ralph reached forward and grabbed the back of his shirt. "Whoa, whoa, calm down there little buddy. Where's the fire?"

Gloyd shook out of his jacket but Ralph grabbed his shirt and lifted him up again. "Y-you can't hurt me! Adorabeezle knows where I am! They'll get suspicious!" He said trying to break free.

Ralph rolled his eyes. "I'm not here to hurt you little guy. I just want to talk to you." He said reassuringly.

Gloyd looked back at him. "About what?"

"Vanellope."

"Oh my glob you're going to kill me!" He said trying to shake loose. "I swear whatever she told you is a lie… okay, maybe I pulled a few pranks on her, but that was it!"

"Gloyd…"

"I'm a prankster, it's in my blood! I don't deserve to die for that!"

Ralph sighed and then dropped him. "You know what I'm here to talk about. I've uh… heard that you maybe you… you know, have a crush on her."

The brown haired boy hung his head. "It must be really obvious if even you found out."

Ralph scratched his head. "Well, to be fair she's the one who kind of told me."

Gloyd looked up nervously. "So, are you here to threaten me or crush me? If it's the second one just make it quick."

Ralph poked his fingers together. "Neither. Vanellope talked to Tamora, so she said I had to talk to you." He explained. She told him at first she was going to tell Felix to do it, but his personality was much too 'old school' for any of the kids in this game to take him seriously.

"Tamora? You mean that mean lady that's always coming by with you guys? She scares me." Gloyd said honestly.

"She has that effect on people." Ralph mumbled. "So, I guess we need to talk…"

"Do we have to?" Gloyd asked.

"Well, if I don't Tamora will get on me… so yeah." He ran his hand through his hair and tried to think of where to start. How did you talk to a kid his age about girls anyhow? "So, where do you want to start?"

"I don't know, you're the adult here. You tell me." He said shrugging.

"I don't know either."

Gloyd shook his head. "You're not very good at this…"

Ralph crossed his arms. "Okay, so do you like Vanellope?"

Gloyd looked at him like he was stupid. "No, I don't like Vanellope. I only have eyes for lemon cream pies." He said sarcastically.

"You're making the smash you option sound really tempting kid." Ralph said glaring at him.

"Sorry…"

"Okay look, if you like her maybe you should just tell her."

Gloyd looked at him. "Seriously? That's the best advice you can give? I could have gotten that from anyone." He said throwing his hands in the air.

"Well cut me some slack! I'm not exactly experienced in this!" He argued. He and Gloyd sat a few more moments in silence, before Ralph spoke again. "For what it's worth, I guess if Vanellope has a crush on anyone, I'm glad it's you."

Gloyd grew wide-eyed. "Wait, she liked me too!" He said shocked.

Ralph covered his mouth. "Aw crap, Tamora is going to kill me."

Gloyd jumped up in the air and fist pumped. "Yes! I knew it!" He said smiling. He then looked at Ralph. "I mean… that's cool."

"Look, don't tell anyone I told you that. It's just between you and me kid." He said getting up.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything until after the prix anyway. But thanks." He said happily.

"No problem kid. Good luck."

"Luck if for suckers! I'm already in!" He didn't even care if the other guys made fun of him, she liked him! She actually liked HIM! It was awesome!

Ralph smiled and ruffled his hair. "Well, great talk I guess." He said walking off. He then held his finger up. "Oh, and one more thing, if you break her heart, I'll crush you." He added happily.

Gloyd stopped cheering and frowned. "So basically if anything bad ever happens I die?"

Ralph shrugged. "Well, not exactly. I might rough you up a bit, but I won't kill you." Great, so he would only get a beating. "Tamora might kill you though." Oh yeah, he forgot about her.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, the reason I haven't updated, might as well just get it out of the way. I been sick, super sick. Like couldn't get out of the bed sick. I've been like that for a while now actually, and I'm still a little under the weather. But I managed to get this chapter up. I tried to get them up earlier, but my family didn't want me touching the computer and spreading it.(If it makes you feel any better they all got sick anyway...)**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll try to get the next on out sooner. I've also decided to follow through on the Sugar Rush High school fic. So you'll either see that, or the next chapter of this posted in the next week or two. Once again, sorry for the super long update. Remember to read and review. Peace out homies! **


	6. The first Race: Terror Twins!

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for the long update. Now I would like to blame this on School or being sick or something, but the fact of the matter was that it was simply writers block. Now I already have a plot in mind for the story of course, but I was very confused on how I should write out the actual races. I've never done anything like it before so it really had me stumped. Finally I just decided to wing it. I hope it's decent. Tell me what you guys think.**

* * *

Vanellope looked from her balcony at the land of Sugar Rush. Today was the first day of the grand prix. Depending on what happened, the whole structure of Sugar Rush could change. She hoped that she hadn't made mistake by doing this. She trusted the other to win for sure, but was it fair to put all that pressure on them, especially when it was just a hotheaded decision made on a whim?

She heard the door open behind her and saw Bill walking in. "Madam President, the guests from the sweet tooth kingdom are here." She sighed. Since the first race was in the Candy Corn fields, it was decided that Garry and the others would come to their kingdom.

"I'll go greet them." She said heading towards the door. She walked down the hall and headed towards the front gate. As she walked down the tall stairs, she saw Garry, Sydney, and Cindy waiting at the bottom. "Hello prince Garry."

Garry smirked. "Hello my dear Vanellope. You have quite the humble little kingdom here. It's not as grand as mine, but I suppose it's cozy."

Vanellope wanted to glitch him right over a cliff, but she settled for giving him a sarcastic smirk. "Thank you." She looked at Sydney and Cindy. "Where are the rest of your racers?"

"Their outside, I thought they would get a little rowdy cramped up in such a small place." He was pushing her gumdrop buttons, and if he kept it up, she's start pushing back. "So, where are your racers?"

"Probably at their houses getting ready to leave, or down at the track preparing."

Garry looked slightly surprised. "You don't keep tabs on your subjects?"

"They're not my subjects, they're my friends." She said.

He shrugged. "Either way, I think you should know where you're citizens are at all times. It's important." To him maybe, but Vanellope did not really care what they did on their free time. It was THEIR free time after all. "So, shall we head to the Candy Corn fields?"

As they walked outside Vanellope looked amazed. There was a giant Gumball blimp sitting in the middle of the courtyard. "What in Gobstopper's name is that thing?"

"It's just my blimp. I believe royalty should travel in style." He stepped on and then held his hand out to her. "Please, hop on board."

Vanellope smirked. "It's cool, but I think I prefer my own ride." She glitched over to her kart, and then jumped inside. She then revved the engine. "Bet I bear that overgrown balloon there." She challenged.

Garry frowned. "I suppose everyone has their preferences when it comes to travel. Come along Sydney and Cindy." He said. They walked on board and Vanellope noticed Cindy giving her a rather sour look. "We'll see you there, my fiancée."

Vanellope felt a chill up her spine at those words. She really hoped she would not end up married to this creep. He hit the gas and headed off and out of the courtyard. She sped down the road and then through the Candy Cane forest. The Candy Corn fields weren't very far from the castle, so she'd be there in no time.

As she got closer, she heard noise coming from the exit of the forest. What in the world was that? As she drove out she got her answer. There was a crowd, but not the normal crowd of NPC candy citizens, there were characters from the arcade. Everyone seemed to be there. Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty, Pacman. If you could name it they were there.

She looked over and saw the others already waiting near the track. They were soaking in the attention as well. Gloyd turned around and then spotted her. He flashed her a smile and she returned it. She suddenly felt someone pick her up from behind. Ralph hoisted the girl onto her shoulders and smiled. "Not a bad showing for the first day of the big race right?" He asked happily.

Vanellope looked ecstatic. "Are you kidding me? This is awesome! How did you get everyone to show up?" She asked.

"I didn't. I guess word just spread about the whole thing and everyone showed up on their own. We all wanted to come and cheer on our favorite little trouble maker." He said as he made his way over to the crowd. Vanellope was greeted with cheered and chants of good luck.

They heard another noise and everyone looked up and saw Garry's blimp approaching. Garry looked down at the great crowd. "I must say, I didn't expect so many people to show. Still, I'm glad. It makes me feel fairly welcomed to this arcade." He said smiling.

The crowd seemed to have a mixed reaction. Most of them hadn't known about the bet going on behind the race. They simply thought this was friendly competition, and while they wanted to root for Vanellope, they didn't want to isolate their new characters either. Tamora looked down at Vanellope. "That the guy?"

She nodded. Garry looked over at Ralph and the others. "You must be the one who's known as Wreck-It Ralph. I feel it's appropriate to give you my thanks. If it wasn't for you my dear Vanellope wouldn't be here anymore, and I wouldn't have a fiancé."

Ralph frowned. "You haven't won yet pal."

He chuckled. "I assure you, this was over before it even started." He said arrogantly. He then looked up and towards the rest of the arcade. "Characters of the arcade, I would like to thank you for the warm welcome. I'd now like to introduce to you, the racers of the Sweet Tooth Kingdom!" The racers all jetted out in their double karts and the crowd once again gave a mixed reaction to the newcomers. They all stopped before the racers of the Candy Kingdom and faced off.

Manny smirked at Snowanna. "I can't wait to put you in your place afro."

"Bring it on you peter pan wannabe." Snowanna said glaring at him.

"Hi Dough." Candlehead greeted.

"Hey Candlehead." Dough said smiling back.

Larry held out a rose towards Jubileena. "I have missed you Mi Amor."

Jubileena took the rose and giggled. "Thank you."

"Long time no see beautiful." Jimmy said winking at Crumbelina.

She rolled her eyes. "Not long enough."

"Let's have a friendly competition." Tea said bowing towards Taffyta.

"Yeah, friendly." Taffyta said as she crunched down on her lollipop.

Rancis and Fang simply glared at each other.

Swizzle smirked at the twins. "Get a good look at our butts twerps, because you're going to be looking at e'm for the next few days."

"Swizzle, don't start trouble." Minty said nudging him. The Twins looked annoyed.

"For your last meal…" Petty started.

"…you're gonna eat those words." Patrick finished.

Cindy noticed Gloyd staring at her and looked angry. "What are you looking at?" She snapped. She had not had a nice week and her patience was running thin.

Gloyd looked away. "Nothing I guess." He didn't want to think about what Sydney told him. He felt sorry for them and all, but they were the enemy, and he needed to win.

Adorabeezle looked at Sydney. "How is Snapper?" She asked concerned about the pet.

"Lively as ever." Sydney assured. As if on cue, Snapper ran around from behind Sydney and jumped into Adorabeezle's arms. "I think he missed you."

Adorabeezle turned around and handed the pet to Vanellope so he wouldn't get caught up in the race. A few second later a large screen appeared being carried by a cotton candy cloud. The screen turned on and then showed Sour Bill. "Ladies and gentlemen, the first race shall now begin." He said in his usual depressed tone.

Everyone turned towards the screen and cheered eager for the first race to begin. "The first race will be between the Team of Swizzle Malarkey and Minty Zaki, and Patrick and Petty the CaPop-rock twins. Will both teams please meet at the starting line."

Swizzle smirked. "We'll be back in no time guys. C'mon Mints, we got some twerps to leave in the dust." He said. Minty nodded and then leaned over and kissed his cheek. Swizzle looked completely dumbfounded. "W-what was that for?"

She smiled. "It was just for good luck." She said as she headed towards the kart.

Swizzle rubbed his cheek as Rancis elbowed him. "You sly dog you." He said as he and Gloyd smirked at him.

"Whatever…" He quickly followed Minty to their kart. Maybe if he won he would get another kiss

The twins were about to head to the starting line, but suddenly Tea grabbed them by the back of their shirts. She turned them around and then sighed. "You two are such children." She said as she grabbed their ties and used them to wipe the crumbs from their mouths. "You're going to be the center of attention. At least keep your faces clean."

They both pouted. Why did Tea have to act like their mother or something? Jimmy reached out and patted them both on the head. "Do us proud you little munchkins."

"We'll leave them…"

"…in the dust!"

With that they ran to their karts. Both teams made their way to the starting lines and looked up at the screen. Sour Bill appeared once more. "Today's race is at the Candy Corn Fields... obviously. The first to complete one lap around the track will be the winner, and have one point added to their team's score. Are both teams ready?"

"I was born ready!" Swizzle said smirking. Minty nodded.

"We're all…" Patrick started.

"…set." Petty finished.

Sour Bill nodded. The screen changed and then began a countdown.

3…

Swizzle and Patrick both revved their karts and glared at each other.

2…

Petty stuck his tongue out at Minty who simply rolled her eyes as his childish antics.

1…

Both ream were now gripping the steering wheel tightly and were ready to slam onto the accelerator.

GO!

The crowd cheered as the drivers slammed down on the petal and caused a cloud of dust to form into the air. Both karts took off, but no one could tell who had taken the lead because of all the dirt in the air. "Hey, look!" Rancis shouted pointing up. The screen showed a bird's eye view of the race.

Swizzle and Minty were ahead, and slowly but surely widening the lead. "Ha, they're in the lead! Looks like eh first race is ours!" Gloyd said as he and Rancis high fived.

Vanellope shook her head. "Don't get to cocky yet, the race as just started." She said. She knew there was a lot more to racing than just a speed advantage.

"You're princess is right. The twins have the lowest speed stats in the game, but that's not where their strength lies." Jimmy said smirking.

Taffyta rolled her eyes. "You're just saying that because their losing."

"Not for long." Manny said smirking.

As the racers began to head towards the first turn, the twins began driving off to the left. Just as Swizzle and Minty began drifting, the twins did something that shocked everyone. They drove off road. They cut across the turn and then rammed into the side of Swizzle and Minty's kart. They were rattled, but managed to keep going.

The twins pulled into the lead and Petty turned around and blew a raspberry as them from the back of the kart. Tea frowned. They were being way to rough when it came to ramming them. She could scold them later though.

"What was that!" Snowanna said shocked.

"No fudging way!" Rancis spat.

Manny chuckled. "Told you they wouldn't be in the lead much longer."

Jimmy smirked as well. "The twins have the lowest speed in the game, but their kart design makes them the fastest off road racers in the game. They rank so low in our kingdom because all our tracks have smooth and straight roads."

"But here in the Candy Corn Fields where it's almost all dirt and there are so many twist and turns, it's like they can't lose." Tea said happily.

Swizzle slowly began catching up to the twins. "We have to pass them before we get to the zigzagging part of the track!" Minty shouted.

"We have to do more than just pass them! We have to get a big enough lead to make up for them cutting the turns! If we don't they'll just shoot straight past us!" Swizzle said as they caught up to the twins.

"Oh no…"

"…you don't!"

The twins slammed into their kart once more knocking them back. Swizzle looked angered. Their kart was lighter and faster, but the twins' were bulky and outweighed theirs.

Garry watched from his blimp a bit surprised. He had expected the twins to lose, and badly. But they were actually putting on quite a show. Maybe the final race wouldn't happen after all. Pity, he was looking forward to knocking that Gloyd fool down to his place.

"Their playing dirty!" Crumbelina said angrily.

"Just because it's not your way of racing doesn't mean it's dirty." Manny said.

"How is ramming them not dirty!" Snowanna snapped.

"Well Sour Bill isn't saying anything, so it's obviously legal." Cindy said.

Swizzle almost passed him again, but the twins once again rammed them. "We're not going to be able to pass them like this!" Minty said.

Swizzle looked furious. "Oh yes we are! They want to play rough, we'll play rough! They shouldn't have messed with the daredevil of Sugar Rush!" He said speeding forward.

Minty looked worried. "Swizzle? Swizzle what are you planning on doing?"

He rammed into the back of their kart and the twins looked surprised. They then broke into smiles. "Is that the best…" Patrick started.

"…you can do!" Petty finished. He then reached back and pulled his pants down giving them a full moon. Minty covered her eyes as Swizzle looked annoyed.

He drove forward to ram them again, but suddenly they turned and drifted around another corner. Swizzle and Minty kept going to ended up driving off road. "Fudge!" Swizzle cursed. He had been so distracted by those two he didn't notice the turn coming up.

The girls all looked disgusted. "I'm going to strangle those two." Tea said.

Jimmy, Dough, and Manny all laughed, and even Fang cracked a smile. Rancis and Gloyd admittedly would have joined in if their friends weren't losing right now. "This is no good, their letting the twins get under their skin." Jubileena said worried.

"Yeah, the twins tend to have that effect on people." Jimmy said.

Swizzle quickly drove back onto the track and went back after them. "I don't think we're going to win in a shoving match Swizz."

"Yes we will, we just have to approach it differently." He said as they slowly caught back up to them. He slammed on the petal and then rammed into the back left tire. The twins kart was knocked sideways and they began skidding.

"Alright! He hit it from an angle!" Swnowanna said excitedly.

"Wow, that's pretty smart… Minty must have thought of it." Rancis concluded.

The twins managed to keep up with Swizzle and Minty but it was clear they were falling behind. Sydney sighed. "It's about time they stop fooling around and just do it."

The others turned towards them. Sydney and the rest of the Sweet Tooth racers didn't seem worried despite the fact the twins were falling further behind every second. Why were they so calm? They got their answer when the twins suddenly drove off road again. Vanellope wonder what they were up to, but then realized they were making a beeline for the finish.

"They're not just going to cut the corners, they skipping to the finish line!" She said shocked.

Swizzle and Minty looked shocked. There was no way they could catch up to them. They could only watch as the twins made their way to the finish and crossed. "We… we lost." Swizzle said in disbelief. And it wasn't even a close race, the twins skipped half the track.

Sydney smirked and tipped his hat. "Because of their off road skills this is the only track they can pull this off on. I may be good, but even I couldn't beat them here." He admitted.

Taffyta looked furious. "That's not fair! This track is practically meant for them! You knew they were just going to cut across it! The first half of the race was just them showing off!"

Jimmy stuck his tongue out. "That's sore loser talk. Part of the deal was that we get to pick who was racing on what track, it's not our fault we picked wisely." He taunted.

Manny smirked. "The first race, is our complete and total victory." He said as he and Dough high fived. "If the rest of the races are this easy, this is gonna be a breeze."

Vanellope looked up at Garry who had a smirk on his face. Honestly he'd expected the twins to lose, and he had no idea about their off road driving. He was glad he took Sydney's advice and placed them on this track. It wasn't just a victory, it was completely dominance. And while he would have preferred them to drag it out, he was sure after watching that they would be shaken for the rest of the competition.

Swizzle drove back to the others and frowned. "I'm so sorry guys. I should have seen this coming. I let you down."

Vanellope patted him on the shoulder. "You didn't let us down, the twins were just better suited to this track. None of us would have been able to beat them. We'll just have to win the next three." He nodded

The twins ran back to the other with smiled on their faces.

"And that is how…" Patrick started.

"…you win a race." Petty finished.

Sydney nodded in approval. "Good job guys."

"We're going to have a little talk about that mooning stunt." Tea said frowning at them.

Manny looked over at Vanellope. "Ring the wedding bells princess." He said before following the others back towards their karts.

Vanellope frowned. She looked up at Garry who stood back up and clapped. "Wonderful job twins, you did far better than I expected. We'll have to celebrate your victory tonight with a feast. Everyone, feel free to attend if you wish." He said before his blimp began flying off.

The crowd began to split in two. Some headed towards Garry's palace while the others, obviously disappointed with the outcome, began heading home. "I REALLY don't like that guy!" Rancis said angrily.

* * *

**A/N: And so the first race, is LOST! Bet you didn't see that coming. I bet you guys saw the twins as the type of characters to blow the first race huh? Don't worry though. There WILL be a final race(as if it weren't obvious already) and we know who'll be in the final showdown. Or do we... yeah, we do. Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Remember to read and review!**

**Also I noticed I had a very special reviewer I've forgotten to give a shout out too. Noodlekuki! I Believe it or not, Noodlekuki was the one who got me to ship Vanellope/Gloyd with his story on deviant art. You should check it out, it's awesome. Well, thanks for reading guys!  
**


	7. Second Race: Dough-Not Fear

Manny pulled his bow back and aimed carefully at her target. He let the arrow go and it whizzed through the air hitting the caramel apple on top of Dough's head, and then pinning it to a tree. Dough clapped his hands. "Another bulls eye! You're amazing Manny!" He said happily. Manny grew a smirk and then walked of and pulled the arrow from the tree. "You gonna eat that?"

Manny rolled his eyes. "Knock yourself out buddy." He said before tossing the apple to Dough who bit into it. He walked back over and then placed the arrow back into the bow. He pulled back to fire and then suddenly heard something over near the bushes. "Who's there!" He shouted as he quickly turned around and fired.

The arrow struck one of the gumball guards who fell over and revealed Garry. Manny looked terrified. He had no idea he'd just fired at the prince. He quickly bowed down and prepared to apologize, but Garry held his hand up. "There is no need to apologize. That's what gumball guards are for." He said watching as the guard sat up and pulled the arrow from it's sticky torso.

He walked up and then signaled for Manny to rise. "I talked to Tea and she told me you two were out here. Did you not enjoy the party?" Garry asked.

"It was fine, but it just wasn't my type of gathering. Besides, I think it would be better if my efforts were focused here, preparing the race tomorrow."

"And shooting at targets helps you prepare for the race?" He asked.

"It just helps calm my nerves sir." Manny said hoping it wouldn't get him in trouble.

"I see. That was an incredibly accurate shot. You're archery skills are as sharp as ever." He said smiling. "Well, whatever you need to do to prepare yourself, keep at it."

"Thank you sir." Manny said tipping his hat.

"I hope that you show such skill at the race tomorrow. Now if you'd excuse me, I'd like to talk with Dough for a moment." He said.

Both Manny and Dough looked surprised. Usually Garry wasted little, if any, time on Dough. Everyone knew Garry didn't exactly view him as the brightest, and honestly found him annoying. Well, everyone except Dough himself of course. "Um, sir. Don't you think it would be easier to talk to me instead?" Manny asked.

Garry frowned at him. "If I wanted to talk with you, I would have said so. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have much to talk about." Manny looked over at Dough who looked worried. Manny nodded towards him and then left.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Dough asked innocently.

Garry looked over Dough who simply stood there. He hated having to deal with this idiot. Talking to him was like talking to a sack of flour. But he would have to put him with him for the time being. "Dough, do you like working with Manny?"  
Dough nodded eagerly. "Of course. He's my best friend after all. We're ranked forth on the leader board." He said proudly.

"Of course you are. But you see, there's a little something I wanted to talk to you about. I'm sure you know that the twins win puts up in the lead for the grand prix." He said.

Dough nodded. "It was really funny when they mooned that Swizzle guy." He said laughing.

"Of course it was." Garry said rolling his eyes. "You may not know this, but the twins are the weakest racers on our roster. But yesterday they won easily. This means the bar is set very high for the next race. After all, we can't have the weakest ones winning and then have our very best lose, now can we?"

Dough shrugged his shoulders. "Can we?"

Garry looked like he wanted to strangle him, but he just sighed. "No Dough, we can't. That's why I need you to make sure you win tomorrow. As the driver it heavily depends on you to bring us victory. Because of this, I'm going to give you a little incentive."

"What's incentive?" Dough asked.

"Something to make you want to win." He said smiling evilly. "Your incentive will be your partnership with Manny. If you lose, then I'll have you two separated."

Dough looked at him nervously. "Wait, when you say separated-"

"I mean you two will no longer be racing partners."

The stakes slowly began to sink into Dough's brain. "W-wait... you can't do that! Me and Manny have alway been partners! We're like brothers!" He shouted.

Garry laughed and patted him on the head. "Oh Dough, you silly boy. I can do whatever I please, and I will. Now if I were you I would start worrying about tomorrow's race. Good luck." He said beginning to walk off. "Oh, and don't tell Manny about this. Wouldn't want to put any extra pressure on him." He said with a smile.

Dough stood there and began sweating bullets. Him and Manny separated? He couldn't seem to comprehend something like that. They had always been together. From the moment their code was created, he and Manny had been inseparable.

Garry kept walking with a satisfied smirk. As he walked by her saw Jimmy leaning on a nearby tree. He glared at the jawbreaker themed boy. "Is there a problem Jawcracker?" He asked.

"Of course not sire." Jimmy said as he stood up and walked away.

Garry balled his fist up angrily. Jimmy was a thorn in his side, and he's have to pluck him one of these days. But for now he would simply go on with the plan. The twins victory had honestly surprised him. If they won this easily, there wouldn't be a final race. He couldn't have that. He needed to see Sydney and Cindy crush Orangeboar in the finals. He wouldn't be satisfied otherwise.

With Dough shaken like this, he surely lose the second race tomorrow. Afterwards he would simply order one of the others to lose so they could have the final race. Then he could watch as Vanellope and her losers came so close to victory, only to have it snatched away. He chuckled. "I am so evil." He said proudly.

* * *

The second day of the race had brought just as many spectators as the first. Everyone had met at the Rocky Road and anxiously awaited to see who was competing. Vanellope and the others waited at the sideline as Snowanna and Candlehead prepared their kart for the race. Though not nearly as rough and bumpy as the Candy Corn fields, the Rocky Road was rough terrain.

"Hey Afro." Snowanna stood up and turned around to face a sneering Manny. He walked around their kart and looked over it. "Hmm, not bad. It really does fit you. But don't think just because you have half decent ride it's going to save you from getting whipped today." He said stopping in front of her.

Snowanna rolled her eyes. "We're not afraid of you. If you think trying intimidating us will knock us off our game, you got another thing coming." She said placing her hands on her hips.

Manny laughed. "You sure are feisty for a girl. Tell you what. Since your cute, if you ask really, really nicely, then I'll only lap you once." He said cupping her chin.

Snowanna smacked his hand away. "Fat chance loser!"

Candlehead looked over at Dough who was staring down at eh ground. "Hey Dough." She greeted waving at him.

He looked up surprised. "Oh, hey Candlehead." He said putting on the best smile he could.

Candlehead knew she wasn't the brightest person. She didn't get a lot of jokes, and she was usually the last person in the group to figure out what was going on around her. But she could tell with one look on his face that something was wrong. "Are you okay?" She asked worried.

He looked back down trying to hide his face, but Candlehead could still see. It looked like a mixture of fear and confusion. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's have a good race."

Before Candlehead could ask any more, Sour Bill called them to the starting line. "C'mon Candlehead, we have a race to win." Snowanna aid hoping in the driver seat. Candlehead nodded and then jumped onto the back of the kart.

Manny jumped onto the back of the kart as Dough took the driver seat. This had surprised most of the other racers. Dough could barely count his own fingers. Was he really fit to be behind the wheel of any motor vehicle? "You ready for this man?" Manny said patting him on the shoulder. Dough gulped and then nodded. He would win. He HAD to win.

Sour Bill stepped in front of the starting line. "Today's race will be one lap around the Rocky Road. This time items will be turned on. Are both racers ready?" He asked.

"I'm ready." Snowanna said revving the kart.

Dough looked at the steering wheel in a daze. "Dough?" Manny said looking down at him. "Dough!" He shouted.

Dough snapped up. "W-what?!"

"Are you ready?" Sour Bill repeated. Dough nodded reluctantly. Sour Bill lifted a little green flag. "Okay. On your marks... get set... go!"

Both of them sped off from the starting line. Everyone watched eagerly to see who would take the lead. They got their answer when Dough and Manny pulled ahead. "I didn't know the runt was that fast." Taffyta said surprised.

Tea smiled. "Most people think that because he's not the smartest, he's nothing to worry about,but Dough is actually a great racer. If your friends take this lightly, they'll lose." She warned.

"Ha ha! We're in the lead! Keep it up man!" Manny said as they approached the first turn. As they drifted around Manny reached out and grabbed one of the items, which was in the form of a floating rainbow colored candy wrapper.

Snowanna looked annoyed and slammed on the petal as hard as she could. "Man, he sure is fast! How are we going to catch up with him?" Candlehead asked.

Snowanna saw a line of floating candy wrappers ahead. "Ha, items! Quick, reach out and grab one!" Snowanna yelled. Candlehead reached out and snatched the item.

**"SWEET SEEKERS!"**

Candlehead backed up slightly as a large turret shot up from the middle of the kart. She grabbed onto the handles of the turret. "So do I just fire?" Candlehead asked.

"Yes girl!" Snowanna shouted.

Candlehead nodded and then took aim at them. She pressed down on the trigger sending three giant pieces of candy flying towards them. Manny turned around with a smirk. "Nice try ladies!" He said tossing his candy wrapper up.

**"SUGAR SHIELD!" **

A dome of sugar suddenly came up and surrounded them. The three candy themed missiles crashed into the dome, but it didn't even budge. "Better luck next time." Manny said saluting them.

"Oh no! They are not getting away! Candlehead, light it up!" Snowanna shouted. Candlehead nodded and then lower her head so her candle was right near the exhaust pipe. It sparked before the pipe suddenly began spitting out flames and boosted forward. Everyone cheered as Snowanna and Candlehead began gaining on them.

"Wait a second..." Patrick yelled.

"...can they do that?!" Petty shouted.

Taffyta smirked and pulled her lollipop out of her mouth. "Well, If I recall, since Sour Bill isn't saying anything so it must not be against the rules." She twins stuck their tongues out at her until Tea grabbed their ears. "Better behave boys."

Snowanna and Candlehead drove up beside Manny and Dough. "Looks like your the ones who are going to eat our dust!" Snowanna said winking as Manny.

Manny smirked back at her. "Okay, so you're not as bad as I thought! But you still won't be able to beat us!" Dough looked over at them and began to panic. What if they passed them? Would be be able to pull back ahead, no, he couldn't risk it! He had to win!

Dough turned the wheel around and suddenly rammed into them. Snowanna and Candlehead skidded back, but managed to stay on the track. "HEY! What's the deal?!" Snowanna shouted. She expected this type of racing from the twins, but she had never guessed that Dough would stoop so low.

The racers in the stands looked surprised. "Is there a strategy you guys have that doesn't involve smashing into the other person?" Rancis asked looking towards the Sweet Tooth racers.

Sydney looked genuinely surprised. "That's weird. Dough has never rammed anyone before. He doesn't have single violent bone in his body."

"Maybe Manny finally got to him." Cindy said crossing her arms.

Jimmy glared up at Garry who was watching the race a smirk. "Or maybe Garry gave him a little incentive." Jimmy said bitterly.

Sydney looked over at him. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing..." Jimmy muttered angrily.

Snowanna readjusted her goggles and then sped forward. "Candlehead, if he tries the again, then you burn their kart to the ground!" She ordered as she slammed onto the petal once more. Candlehead nodded and then reached out and grabbed another item.

**"TRICK OR TREAT!" **

A large pumpkin suddenly appeared in Candlehead's hands. It had a question marks carved in to it and the stem was shaped like a handle. "Was is it?" Candlehead asked. This was a completely new item to her. She hesitantly reached up and pulled the handle opening the top of the pumpkin.

**"TREAT!"**

Suddenly a swarm of candy corn with bat like wings flew out and headed towards Manny and Dough. They swarmed around them blocking their vision and attempting to pick apart their kart. "Whoa, I'm never seen that one before!" Tea said surprised.

"It's the Trick or Treat. When you open it it either gives you a cool item, or it blows up." Jimmy said yawning. He'd been practicing so much he had seen every item in the whole game. "That Candlehead girl must be really lucky."

"The stupid ones often are..." Minty mumbled.

Dough tried to focus on the road while Manny swatted at the candy creatures. "Ah, this is so annoying!" Manny shouted. He looked back and then saw Snowanna and Candlehead passing by them. "I don't believe this!"

"Ha! We got this in the bag!" Gloyd said as he and Swizzle high fived.

Snowanna cheered as Candlehead reached out and grabbed another item. "C'mon Candlehead, let's put a cherry on this sundae!" Candlehead nodded and then used the item.

**"SYRUP SLICK!"**

Maple syrup began spilling out from the back of there kart. When Dough and Manny drove over it their kart began swaying back and forth. Manny was barely able to balance himself while Dough just quickly began turning the wheel.

He tapped lightly on the brakes and then began drifting. Their kart drifted smoothly, alost as if it were gliding across the syrup slick and they began catching up with Snowanna and Candlehead.

"How is he doing that?!" Swizzle asked.

"Dough handling and speed make him the perfect character for drifting. You should see it when he's doing donuts in the court yard, it's awesome." Larry said smiling.

As they were just about the clear the oil slick, Dough's hand suddenly slipped and their kart were skidding out of control. They spun off the track and then crashed into a giant walnut. Dough slammed his hands against the wheel. "No, no, NO! This cannot be happening!" He said grabbing his head.

Manny shook his head and then looked down at his partner. He looked like a nervous wreck. "Dough, what is wrong with you? You seem totally of your game today! Just relax." Manny said trying to calm his partner. Dough must have been feelings the pressure from the competition, which was bad. He was a great racer, but only when he was racing for fun. He had never let competition ruin his love of racing.

Dough shook his head. "No, I have to win!" He said as he pressed his foot on the petal. Snowanna and Candlehead were gaining a wide lead.

Manny grabbed onto the back of the kart. "Look, if you're worried about losing the grand prix then chill. I won't be mad even we lose. I promise." Manny said.

"That's not it!" Dough yelled. "It's something else!"

"What?!" Manny asked.

"I'm not allowed to say!"

Manny looked confused. Suddenly he remembered what happened last night. "Does this have something to do with what you and Gary talked about?" He asked. The silence was all the answer he needed. "Dough, what did he say to you?!"

"He said if we lost we couldn't be partners anymore!" Dough said his voice cracking.

Manny frowned. "Listen to me, I don't care what Garry or anyone else says! We're partners, and we're always going to be partners!" He said.

"But what about Garry?" Dough asked.

"Who cares about him? I promise no matter what happens I'm not going to let us be separated. I have always been there for you, and whether we win or lose this stupid race that is not going to change that!" Manny assured.

"Really?" Dough asked.

"I swear my hat!"

Dough looked back at her partner shocked. Manny loved his hat more than anything else in the world. He then looked back at the race track. "You're right, we don't have to worry about winning or losing, cause we're gonna win!" He said smiling. He pressed down on the petal and sped forward.

As Snowanna and Candlehead began going over the bridge of the Rocky Road, Candlehead looked back and saw them gaining. "It looks like their back." Candlehead said.

Dough drove up beside them and Manny took his hat off and bowed. "Sorry ladies, but we really have to be going now." He said as Dough pulled ahead of them.

"Bye Candlehead!" Dough said waving.

Snowanna frowned and struggled to keep up with them. Candlehead couldn't help but crack a small smile. Dough looked like he was back to his usual bubbly self. "Candlehead! Are you paying attention?!" Snowanna asked.

"Oh? Yeah!" Candlehead said as they approached the end of the bridge. They watched as Manny reached out and then grabbed an item.

**"CHARACTER ITEM! CARAMEL CROSSBOW!" **

A crossbow suddenly appeared in Manny's hands. "Ha! We got this in the bag!" He said as he took aim. He pulled the trigger of the crossbow and it fired off an arrow with a caramel apple stuck on the tip. The arrow his Snowanna and Candlehead's kart right on the hood, and it stuck there.

"What in the world?" Snowanna said confused. Manny fired more arrows and Snowanna twisted and turned trying to avoid the barrage of caramel apples. A few more of them hit and Snowanna soon realized that the apples were weighing the kart down. "Oh crumb!"

"A character item? What the heck is that?!" Vanellope asked.

"Every character has a item. An item only they can use. But there's only about a one in a hundred chance your going to get it. Even less if your in the lead." Jimmy explained. Snowanna and Candlehead were slowing down, but Candlehead reached out and managed to grab an item as well.

**"CHARACTER ITEM! CRISPY CANDLE!" **

The fire on Candlehead's head went from a small flame to a blazing inferno. The caramel apples were easily melted away and Snowanna and she gained their speed back. In fact, they were moving even faster than before.

Everyone seemed surprised except Taffyta smiled. "That is dumb luck at it's finest." She said proud of her friend.

Candlehead smiled at the lage fire on her head. "Wow, this is the biggest my fire has ever been!" She said excitedly.

"Yeah, that's great! Now light them up Candlehead!" Snowanna shouted. Candlehead nodded and then squeezed her eyes shut. The fire began shooting out balls of fire towards Manny and Dough.

"Oh fudge! Evasive maneuvers!" Manny yelled. Dough began moving back and forth dodging the ball of fire. Manny turned and fired more arrows at them, but they melted away before they could even touch the kart.  
Candlehead took a deep breath and then shot a large fireball towards them. It struck the kart sending them spiraling out of control. Dough slammed his foot on the breaks just before their kart fell into the river of chocolate milk. Snowanna and Candlehead quickly passed by them and then past the finish line.

The crowd broke out into cheers. Vanellope jumped up into the air ecstatic. "YES! We did it! We did it! We did it! We won!" She said jumping up and down.

Swizzle and Gloyd jumped up and high fived. "Yeah! That's how we do it in the Candy Kingdom!" Swizzle said raising his arms.

"Never a doubt." Taffyta said crossing her arms.

The Sweet Tooth raced all seemed to look on with indifference. All except Jimmy who was seemed fairly sour about the results. Snowanna and Candlehead grabbed each other and jumped up and down cheering. "We won, we won, we won, we won!" They chanted happily.

Dough and Manny made their way to the finish line. Manny could see his partner shaking nervously. He reached down and patted his shoulder. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen. I promise." He said sternly. Though Dough could still hear a hint of doubt in his voice.

They stopped near Snowanna and Candlehead and then jumped out. "It was a really good race." Dough said smiling towards them.

"You too." Candlehead said. She reached up and then poked her candle and sighed. "I'm going to miss my big fire though."

Snowanna smirked at Manny who was frowning. "Is there something that YOU want to say Manny?" She asked smirking at him.

He sighed and then grew a smile on his face. "Okay, I admit it. You were the better racer." He held out his hands and Snowanna took it. They shook hands and Manny tipped his hat. "But NEXT time we're going to win for sure."

"Anytime you want a rematch." Snowanna said.

Garry stood up from his chair and then clapped. "Bravo everyone, a wonderful performance." He said smiling. Jimmy glared up at him angrily. He wasn't really made about Snowanna and Candlehead winning, he could honestly care less about this stupid grand prix. He was mad Garry's stupid plan had worked.

"That was an excellent showing Snowanna and Candlehead. Beating Manny and Dough is no easy feat. I look forward to what the rest of you can do in the next race tomorrow." He said before sitting back in his chair. His blimp began floating off.

The Sweet Tooth racers began making their way back towards the castle. "I will see you tomorrow my beloved." Larry said kissing Jubileena's hand. Suddenly Jimmy grabbed the back of his shirt collar and began dragging him off. "W- Hey! Que Pasa?!"

"See you folks tomorrow." Sydney said tipping his hat.

As Fang passed by Rancis and the two glared at each other. Tomorrow would be there race, and Rancis would show he was wrong about him being a softy.

* * *

Dough and Manny stood before Garry who was seated on his throne. Dough looked down at the ground nervous while Manny glared at him. The others all stood a few feet behind them. "Now then, I believe I told you that if you lost, that you and Manny would be separated." Garry said with a smirk. Manny gritted his teeth and prepared to say something.

Even if it meant being banished from the kingdom, he was not willing to be split up from his best friend. "But I've though it over, and because you had such a good showing, I have reconsidered. You two will remain partners." He said yawning. "Don't disappoint me again."

Dough's face lit up and Manny let out a relieved sigh. "Now, you may all go. Except you Sydney, I need to have a few words with you."

Everyone turned to leave the room. "Have fun taking more orders from your master, devil dog." Jimmy said as he bumped Sydney on the way out.

Sydney ignored him and waited until everyone else left. Garry smiled down at him and leaned on the arm of his throne. "I'd say my plan worked out pretty well. I got what I wanted and those fools now think they have a chance at victory." He said confidently.

"You scared Dough half to death." Sydney stated.

"Oh, that little dough ball could use a good scaring. He's so annoying and peppy all the time. Anyhow the greater goal was met. We're one step closer to your race. All I need to do is have either Jimmy or Fang throw the race, and then you can leave that pumpkin headed moron in the dust at the finals."

Sydney frowned. "Why exactly do we HAVE to have the finals sir? Why can't we just win the next two and be done with. I'm pretty sure Fang and Tea can beat Taffyta and Rancis. And I know there's no way Jimmy and Larry will lose."

"I realize we could just crush them. But there's so flare in that. We need to bring this to a climax so we can gain the admiration of the rest of the arcade. The newcomers sweeping in and beating the veterans just by a hair. It'll be a true underdog victory." He said leaning back in his chair.

Sydney was silent. Garry may have been devious, but he certainly knew how to get people on his side. The way he played the crowd yesterday and today had made most of the arcade welcome them with warm arms. Still, he didn't think it was worth making the others have to throw the race. "You know neither Fang or Jimmy would throw the race." Sydney stated.

Garry yawned. "Oh, I know. Even if I threatened to throw them out of the kingdom their much to stubborn and prideful to throw the race. So I'll just have to make sure one of them loses. Seeing as Jimmy has been plotting against me, having him lose will be a great way to humble him a bit."

"But sire, what if Fang actually loses. Jimmy will have to win then." Sydney argued.

"Oh, Fang won't lose. You can bet on it." He said deviously.

Sydney looked at him worried. "Garry... you're not actually planning on cheating are you? Even I think you're taking this a little too far." Sydney said.

Garry looked up at his friend. Sydney had only called him by name when he was serious about something. He sighed. "Oh, don't be such a worry wart. I know Fang can win on his own, I don't have to plan anything sneaky or underhanded." He assured.

Sydney nodded and then turned towards the door. Garry grew a wicked smile. Just because he didn't HAVE to plan anything, didn't mean he wouldn't.

* * *

**A/N: Bet you guys thought I was dead huh? I am SUPER sorry for not updating for so long. I was having a little writers block, but that wasn't the main problem. The main problem was that my computer was broken, and I lost all m files, which included this chapter. Then I FINALLY got a new computer, but it keeps shutting down for no reason. I ended up having to rewrite this chapter THREE times. I tried to make it a little longer to make up for the long update. **

**I know this chapter focused mostly on the Sweet Tooth racers, but don't worry. We'll be getting back to Vanellope and the others next chapter. **

**Also, I'm making another call for anyone willing to draw the Sweet Tooth racers. As you can tell by the cover, someone was working on it. But they suddenly just stopped for some reason. So if anyone else wants to take a crack at it, be my guests.  
**


	8. Third Race: Rancis' Candy Kung-fu rival!

**A/N: Hey guys, what up? I wanted to put the authors note in the beginning of the chapter to make sure every got the message. As some of you may have noticed, there was some new cover art for the story, well you can thank Vida-chan, or Kos-fan1 as some of you may know her on deviant art, for that. She had taken the liberty of drawing all the characters which you can check out on her Deviant art page. You should also check out some of her fanfiction, their really good! **

* * *

Tappers had been even more lively than usual. Rather than hosting some party at the castle Vanellope decided to treat the entire gang to root beer floats. A number of other characters heard about the celebration and swung by to congratulate the Candy Kingdom Racers on their first victory. Everyone was drinking, joking, laughing, and dancing.

Everyone except Rancis who was fiddling with his root beer mug. Despite the confidence he showed towards Fang earlier, he was nervous. He had never thought about it before, but it was quite possible Fang was right about him being soft. The way he saw Fang training in the Candy Cane Forest, not just with his martial arts, but his racing as well.

Rancis had only seen him train a little, but it only took a glance to see how he put his all into everything he did. All his time and effort had been poured into his training. And it wasn't just because of this grand prix, it was clearly something he did on a regular basis. With all the devotion he put into it he managed reach third on his leader board, despite his low stats.

It was true Rancis was also third on his leader board, but that just seemed like something that had always been. He's never really tried to keep his place on the leader board since he just assumed no one would ever be able to pass him. He also figured he'd never be able to Vanellope or Taffyta, so he settled for third. His stats were behind theirs, even if only slightly so, and he guessed he was supposed to be third.

But Fang was different. He didn't assume and he didn't settle, he just kept on striving to reach the top. Could Rancis really beat someone like him? "Hey Rancis, what's wrong?" He looked over and then saw Taffyta taking a seat beside him.

"Just thinking." He muttered as he swished his root beer mug around.

Taffyta smirked. "You thinking, that's never a good sign." She said with a chuckle. She saw the serious look on his face and frowned. "Hey, I was only kidding with you Rancis."

He looked up and then turned towards her. "Oh, no. It's nothing you said. I guess I'm just a little nervous about tomorrow's race." He admitted.

Taffyta elbowed him lightly. "Hey, you shouldn't be worrying about that right now. We're celebrating here. Besides, it's one of our tracks, we're a shoe in to win." She said trying to reassure him.

"I still don't know." He mumbled.

They heard a loud clanking noise and then looked up and saw Vanellope tapping her mug with a fork. "Attention everybody, can I get your attention?!" She said looking around. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned towards the president who was sitting on the shoulders of a certain wrecker. "Can everyone here me from way down there?"

"We can hear you just find princess pit stain!" Gloyd yelled.

Vanellope smiled and rolled her eyes at the boy. "Why don't you try wiping that stupid fizz mustache of your face before you fling insults pumpkin head." She said. Gloyd looked down and then wiped the fizz onto his sleeve earning a few chuckles from everyone in the room. "I just wanted to thank everyone for cheering us on today. We really appreciate the support."

"So does that mean you buying the root beers?" Ken called out jokingly.

Vanellope placed her hands on her hips. "What am I made of coins over here? Your Mr. Money bags around here." She said. "Anyway, I would also like to give a toast to Snowanna and Candlehead. It was a really close call, but they managed to pull it off and give us our first win."

Everyone raised their mugs into the air. "Here here!" Everyone cheered.

After Tattyta finished drinking her root beer she turned back to Rancis. "I get that you nervous, with all this stuff going on I'm a little nervous myself, but we'll be fine. If Snowanna and Candlehead pulled off a win then we definitely can."

Rancis sighed. "Have you seen Fang? He's been practicing like crazy."

"So he does a little night time practice. We practice all the time." Taffyta reasoned.

"No, Vanellope practices all the time, YOU practice all the time. Swizzle, and Minty, and everyone else practice all the time. I've just been getting by with my stats." He said sighing. "I can't just do a few days of training and expect to beat someone whose been doing it since their code was put together. Maybe for the sake of the race you should-"

Taffyta lifted her hand and covered his mouth. "If you even think about trying to switch on me you will be in so much trouble." She said glaring at him.

He removed her hand from his mouth. "Look, I'm just saying-"

"Rancis, you are one of the best racers of Sugar Rush. Before Vanellope came back the only ones who could give me a run for my money were you and King Candy. Your underestimating yourself." She said patting him on the shoulder.

"But Fang-"

"Is getting in your head. So you saw him lifting a few Candy Cane trees, big deal. Your still one of the top racers in the Candy Kingdom, and it wasn't just your stats that got you there."

He looked at her and smiled. "Thanks Taff."

Taffyta looked back down at her mug. "No problem. Besides..." She fumbled with the glass and grew a slight blush on her face. "...I wouldn't be able to race in this stupid competition without you with me. I'd be too scared."

Rancis looked surprised. Taffyta, scared? He couldn't believe it. Sure he had seen Taffyta get scared before, like when Gloyd brought his pet bat around, but he never thought that she would actually come out and admit it. "Aw c'mon Taff, like I'd ever leave you alone. You wouldn't last a day with me." He said smirking.

Taffyta rolled her eyes. "Good old conceited Rancis is back." She mumbled.

* * *

Fang slowly woke up ad found himself staring up at the sky. He groaned and tried to figure out where he was then he saw Tea's face appeared above him. "Are you finally awake?" Tea asked looking concerned.

He glanced around and then realized he was in the Candy Cane forest and his head was laying in his partner's lap. "Ugh, what happened?" He asked sitting up.

"You were knocking down a bunch of Candy Cane trees and you got tired and passed out, again, though it's not really a surprise. You've been out here all night." She said reaching back and grabbing a box of candy dumplings. "You should eat something."

He tightened his headband and then got back up to his feet. "I'm not really hungry. Anyway I should get back to practicing. Our race is tomorrow after all."

Just as he was about to walk away Tea reached up and grabbed the back of his shirt. She pulled him back down beside her. "I'm not asking you, I'm telling you."

"But I'm not..." He stopped when he saw Tea giving him a harsh glare. Fang was a bit stubborn and ungiving when it came to most things, but crossing Tea was a line he learned not to cross some time ago. "I'll eat." He said scratching his cheek.

She stuffed a candy dumpling into his mouth. "Good." She said patting him on the head. He took a bite out of the dumpling and Tea frowned. "You know, I don't think you don't have to push yourself so hard."

He shook his head. "I'm still not good enough."

Tea sighed. "You've been training for the prix non stop, I'm pretty sure we're more than prepared for Taffyta and Rancis."

"It's not them I'm worried about. I mean, yes I want to beat them, but their not what I'm doing all this training for." He said taking another bite out of the dumpling.

"What are you doing it for then?" She asked.

"Jimmy isn't the only one who wants the top spot on the leader board. After the Prix I'm going to try and break their records." He said with a determined look in his eyes.

Tea looked at him surprised. "So you're really going after the top spot on the leader board? You know your going to have to take on Jimmy and Sydney right?" She said.

He swallowed the rest of his dumpling and hit his chest to help him swallow. "I know its a slim shot, but I still have to try. I couldn't call myself a racer if I didn't aim for the top." He said tightening his gloves.

Tea stared for a few seconds and smiled at him. "Your saying 'I' an awful lot aren't you. We're a team Fang. If your aiming for th top, then so am I." She said stuffing another dumpling into his mouth. "Besides, if I wasn't there for you you'd drop dead from all that training."

He chuckled and then swallowed the dumpling whole. "Thanks for putting up with me all the time Tea." He said. He knew he wasn't the easiest of people to deal with, but Tea was always right behind him no matter what he was getting himself into.

"You don't have to thank me. We're partners, it's what we're supposed to do." She said taking a bite out of her own dumpling. "Now, let's get some rest. We got a big day tomorrow."

* * *

The Candy Cane Forest was buzzing with life. Usually it was empty and everyone watched the races from the camera due to the dense forest, but Ralph and Felix managed to create a makeshift stand using some of the trees around the area.

Rancis sat on the bottom of the stands and tried to mentally prepare himself for this race. This morning he had asked Taffyta to trade places with him so that he was the driver. Though she was a little hesitant she agreed to let him. She could see he wasn't going to be satisfied if they beat Fang while he was sitting in the back.

He wanted to cross the finish line with his own two hands. "Hey Rancis, you ready to cream these guys?" Gloyd asked as he wrapped an arm around his friends shoulder.

"What kind of question is that? Of course he's going to leave these guys in the dust!" Swizzle said also wrapping his arm around his friends shoulder. "And after he wins he can treat us to Tapper's to celebrate!"

Rancis raised his eyebrows at his laughing friends. "Since I'm going to be the winner shouldn't it be you treating me to a root beer?" He asked annoyed.

"We're broke!" Gloyd and Swizzle said smiling.

He rolled his eyes but then smiled. There were times where he wondered why he hung out with these two, but moments like this reminded him. "Thanks guys." He said.

"For what?" Swizzle asked confused.

"I just really needed a laugh right now."  
Taffyta approached from behind and slapped Rancis on the back. "Sorry boys, but I need to borrow Flutterbugger for a second." She said. "You ready?"

He nodded. "Of course."

On the other side of the road Fang sat and tried to concentrate. "Would all racers please come to the starting line?" Sour Bill asked over the speakers.

Fang got up and began walking towards his kart at the starting line. Tea followed behind him. As they made their way to the starting line he felt someone grab his shoulder. He turned and saw Jimmy standing behind him. "Hey, be careful out there dude." Jimmy warned.

He tightened his headband and smirked. "I appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself."  
Jimmy shook his head. "You know Garry wants the final race with Sydney to happen, which means one of us would have to lose."

"Well that won't be me." Fang said bluntly.

"Of course it won't, no way you'd lose to these guys. It'll probably be me he sets up to lose. But you should keep your guard up just in case." Jimmy warned.

Fang looked up at Garry who was wearing a smug look on is face. "You think he rigged the track somehow?" He asked.

"I don't know. But you need to be careful. You and I both know he doesn't really care about any of us, we're as disposable as candy wrappers." He said. "Watch your back."

Fang nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be fine." He said walking off. "Oh, and one more thing. It's only fair to warn you, after I finish this grand prix, I'm coming after your spot on the leader board. And then Sydney is next."

Jimmy stared at him and then smiled. "Fine by me. Bring it on." He said heading back towards the stands.

The two teams made their way to the starting line and watched as Sour Bill went over the rules as usual. Once everything was said and done the countdown began. "Ready... set... GO!"

Fang and Rancis both slammed on their accelerators and sped off. Once the dust cleared everyone watched eagerly to see who had taken the lead. The two were neck and neck, neither giving an inch. "Their actually keeping up. I thought Rancis would totally outspeed him." Jubileena said.

Larry chuckled. "I can see how you'd think that my sweet, but it wouldn't be wise to underestimate Fang just because of his low stats. He's not stupidly lucky like Candlehead or Dough, but he certainly is a freak who can defy that odds." He explained.

As they kept speeding down the track, the first turn began to approach. Both of them began drifting to the right. Fang who was on the inside tried to make the turn as tight as possible, and to avoid collision Rancis had to back off. Then they finished Fang and Tea had gained a small lead. "Crumbs! Their ahead!" Racis cursed

"Not for long!" Taffyta said. As they stayed on Fang and Tea's tail they saw a line of item wrappers coming up. Tea had easily snagged one and Taffyta held onto the kart and reached out snagging one of the wrappers as well. She quickly opened it up.

"ICE CREAM CANON!"

A huge ice cream canon appeared on the back of the kart and Taffyta grabbed the handle and took aim. "Even this item is a little different huh?" She asked as she adjusted it carefully. She pulled the trigger and fired. Tea sat the incoming attack and quickly opened her wrapper.

"FIST OF FLAVOR!"

Tea hands began glowing red and she smiled. "Just what I needed." Tea said as she pulled her arms back and took a fighting stance. Just as the ice cream was about to hit, she thrust both her palms forward. The canon was destroyed and little bits and drops of ice cream and waffle cones began raining down.

Her hands turned back to normal. "Okay, that was pretty cool." Gloyd admitted.

"That is that we call Candy Style Kung Fu." Jimmy said smirking.

Taffyta frowned and then looked forward and saw a thick patch of Candy Cane trees approaching. "Hey Rancis, we should be able to catch up with them there. With all the twist and turns they'll have to slow down at least a little." She explained. He nodded and then pressed ahead ready to take the first chance to pass them.

Fang saw the thick patch of forest coming up. "Tea."

"Right!" In a shocking move, Tea flipped forward and then landed on the hood of the kart. She took a fighting stance and then suddenly began kicking as fast as she could. She began knocking down all the trees in their path.

"What the fudge?!" Vanellope shouted.

"That's Chun Li lightening kicks!" Ralph said amazed. He knew they were supposed to be parodies of the street fighter characters, but he didn't think they could use their actual moves.

"Not bad I guess." Chun li commented.

"Is that legal?!" Crumbelina snapped. "There's no way that's legal!"

"Sour Bill ain't saying anythin'." Cindy said with a smirk.  
"C'mon Sour Bill! Your killing us here!" Gloyd yelled shaking his fist up at the announcer/regulator.

Sour Bill held his hands up defensively. "What do you want me to do? It's not like there's a player behind the screen, and there's nothing in the rules against it." He said.

Rancis looked amazed until he felt Taffyta shaking his shoulder. "Hey! Look out!" She shouted.

He looked forward and saw they were headed towards a candy cane tree. Rancis turned the wheel barely avoiding the tree. He began twisting and turning through the forest struggling to avoid a crash. "C"mon Rancis, use evasive maneuvers!" Taffyta shouted.

"I am using evasive maneuvers!" He snapped back.

"You call this evasive?!" Taffyta asked.

"I don't need your back seat driving now woman!" Rancis yelled as he swerved around another tree.

Taffyta held on as tightly as she could. So this was what it was like not to be in the drivers seat. How had Rancis pulled this off for the past few days. This was even worst then the roller coaster ride at that carnival game.

Just as they rounded another tree Taffyta saw a candy wrapper and smiled. She reached out and then grabbed it barely managing t hang on to the kart. She looked closely at the wrapper and frowned. "Aw crumbs! It's just a boost. We'll never be able to maneuver this place at that speed."

Rancis cursed under his breath. While they twisted and turned through the forest, Fang and Tea were smashing their way straight through. They would never be able to catch up at this rate. Rancis tried to think of something, and then recalled something from a few weeks ago.

A smile grew across his face. "We may not have to maneuver around it. I have an idea!" He said as he veered off towards the right. They approached a large candy cane tree that was slanted over part of the taffyta swamp.

Taffyta looked confused. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"When I give the signal open the boost!"

"Wait? Why?!" Taffyta asked. "Oh no, Rancis, are you trying to use that candy cane tree as a ramp? It's a double stripe! It'll disappear before we even get in the air!"

"Don't worry, I saw Swizzle almost do this one time!"

"Swizzle?! Almost?! Are you out of your fudging mind?!"

"Just wait until I give the signal!"

"We're never going to pull this off!" She said pulling on the back of his jacket collar.

"Get ready!" Rancis said.

"Do you realize that double karts after heavier and slower! We'l never make it!"

"Almost there." Rancis said speeding up.

"We're gonna die!"

"What are they doing?" Vanellope asked confused.

"They wouldn't... they'd never make that." Jimmy said sitting up in his seat.

They drove up the tree and Rancis' foot was pressed on the accelerator so hard he thought it might break. They zipped up as fast as they possible could. Taffyta looked down and saw the double stripe tree glowing. It was about to disappeared. "Now!" Rancis yelled.

Taffyta closed her eyes and opened the candy wrapper. "CHERRY BERRY BOOST!"

Red and Blue flames shot out from the back of their kart and it rocketed forward. They flew off the edge of the tree an instant before it disappeared. Taffyta screamed and clung to the back of the kart and they flew through the air and over the rest forest.

They landed on the track and far in front of Fang and Tea who looked totally shocked. The crowd cheered loudly at the stunt and Swizzle jumped out of his seat in disbelief. "Holy sugar bits, I can't believe they pulled that off! I've tried that like a thousand times and it never worked!"

"I thought Swizzle was crazy..." Crumbelina mumbled.

Rancis looked back to check on Taffyta. "You okay back there Taff?"

Taffyta clung onto the back of the kart and tried to catch her breath. "You owe me a lifetime tab at Tappers." She said still shaking.

"Right." He turned towards the road and and saw another line of candy wrappers. "Okay Taff, we should be able to finish them here." He hit the candy wrapper and the item flew into the air. Taffyta jumped up and grabbed it.

"CHARACTER ITEM! LAFFY TAFFY!"

Taffyta looked surprised as taffy began wrapping around her arms. "What the..." She held her arm out curious at what this thing was supposed to be. Vines of Laffy Taffy began stretching out from her arms. They headed for Fang and Tea who looked completely caught off guard.

The vines wrapped around their kart and a few of them snapped off and began tangling up their tires and steering wheel. "We're slowing down!" Tea said trying to tear the sticky substance from the back of the kart. "Fang, what do we do?"

Fang scowled and then balled his fist up. He didn't care how far behind they were, he wasn't about to just give up. He saw an item wrapper coming up. This was their chance. "Tea, switch!" He shouted. Tea looked surprised but then nodded.

Everyone looked shocked as Fang stood up and then back flipped. At the same time Tea leaped forward into the drivers seat. Fang landed on the back of the kart and then quickly grabbed the item wrapper. "Did they just switch!" Jubileena said not believing her eyes.

Larry looked absolutely stunned. "I-I didn't know they could pull something like that off. I mean it's true the player can automatically switch the driver and passenger, but doing it manually? It would take a amazing amount of timing, balance, and teamwork."

"CHARACTER ITEM! SATSU NO SUGAR RUSH!"

"Fang's character item?" Jimmy mumbled curiously.

"You've never seen it before?" Crumbelina asked.

Jimmy shook his head. "Not even once. That guy has been a loner from day one. I hardly know anything about him. He keeps to himself. I don't even think he's shown Tea his character item."

A bright red aura began surrounding. He could feel power surging through his whole body. He lifted his foot and stomped down, and the whole kart grew a red aura around it. It began moving forward with blinding speed. "What the heck?" Vanellope said shocked.

They could barely even see the kart, it looked like a red blur speeding down the track. "It's a speed boost." Jubileena said amazed. "He's moving even faster than the normal Sugar Rush item."

Taffyta looked back and gasped. "Rancis, we have a problem." Rancis looked in the rear view mirror and saw the red blur getting closer by the second. He looked forward and saw that the finish line wasn't far away, and they were still quite far behind them. But at the speed they were going there was no telling if they could catch up in time.

"Taffyta, try and slow them down!" He yelled.

She flung her arms forward and laffy taffy vines shot out towards Fang and Tea. They began wrapping around the kart, but Fang stomped his foot again and the vines hardened and then crumbled into dust. He stomped again and the kart began moving even faster.

Tea smiled and then looked back. "Nice work Fang, we'll be able to catch up with them in..." She stopped when she saw Fang's pained face. His body twitched and glitched. "Fang, what's wrong?" She asked worried.  
"I'm fine, just keep going!" He shouted.

"Your pushing yourself to far! Your going past the set limit of your item! It'll tear you code apart if you keep this up!" She shouted.

He tightened his grip on the back of the kart. "Then we should win as quickly as possible shouldn't we?" He said putting on a smirk through the pain. He stomped his foot once more and they sped up even more. Fan looked over towards Jimmy and Sydney. "That's right, both of you get a good look. See what you have to look forward to after this." He thought.

Jimmy looked down in amazement. He knew Fang had been training to take his spot on the leader board, but he no idea that he was hiding something like this. Sydney looked shocked as well. "Was he hiding this type of ace in the hole this whole time?" He asked to himself.

"I can't stop him!" Taffyta yelled. She kept flinging vines at them, but they weren't even able to get close anymore. She tried using the vines to pulled down some of the candy cane trees and putting them in their way, but they broke right through them.

"We're almost at the finish line!" Rancis said. They kept rushing forward until Rancis saw a blaze of red in the corner of his eyes. It only lasted for a split second however.

The red aura vanished and Fang grabbed the back of the kart and cringed in pain. His body was glitching all over. Tea looked back and immediately hit the brakes. She didn't care about this race anymore, she just wanted to make sure Fang was okay.

Rancis and Taffyta looked back clearly confused at what was going on. "What's happening, why did they stop?" Minty asked.

"I don't know, but Rancis and Taffyta are totally going to win!" Gloyd pointed out.

Garry who was watching from his blimp frowned. "Well, that's a disappointment. I was sure they would be able to win on their own. Oh well, I suppose if you expect a job to be done right..." He hit a small switch underneath his chair and smiled wickedly.

Just as Rancis and Taffyta got close to the finish line, one of the candy cane tree fell down and onto the track. They tried to his the break, but couldn't slow down in time and slammed into it. "What the..." Rancis looked up and saw more trees beginning to fall. "Oh fudge!"

Rancis looked down at Taffyta who was rubbing her head. He leaped back and tackled her out of the way seconds before the tree fell and crashed down onto their kart, smashing it into pieces. "Our kart!" Taffyta said.

"Taff, look out!" Rancis shouted. She looked up and saw more trees beginning to fall towards them. Taffyta tried to get up and run, but she winced in pain. She sprained her ankle. Rancis quickly covered her body with his own and they closed their eyes.

"No!" Fang saw the scene unfolding and then rushed over to help. His character item reactivated and he sped over grabbing both Rancis and Taffyta by their shirt collars and leaped out of the way just in time. He carried them to safety and then dropped them before collapsing to the ground himself.

"Fang!" Tea ran to his side and saw his body glitching all over. "You've pushed your code much to far, we have to get you back to the castle right now!"

"You saved us..." Rancis said in shock.

"I want to win, but not that way." Fang cringed in pain and then glanced over at the trees. The way they suddenly fell like that, and the way they all headed towards the track. There was no way that it was a coincidence. He glared up at Garry who was wearing a smug look on his face.

"Sour Bill, I don't want to sound pushy, but I believe that since their kart is destroyed, that Taffyta and Rancis lose by default, correct?"

Sour Bill looked confused and then fumbled to grab the rule book. He flipped through the pages and then a frown crossed his face. "Um... yes. The winners are Fang and Tea."

Fang looked at him in disbelief and then balled his fist up. "Are you kidding me! I won't accept a win on some idiotic technicality! Just let them make a new kart and restart the match!" He shouted. Just then his body flickered and he grabbed his chest in pain.

"Fang!" Tea quickly made her way over to him and put his arm over her shoulder.

Garry stood up from his throne and laughed. "Now now Fang, I'm equally disappointed in how this turned out, but your clearly in no shape for another race. Besides, its in the rules." Everyone began booing at the result of the race. They'd come to see someone cross the finish line, not to win because of some stupid rule.

Fang gritted his teeth and turned towards Rancis and Taffyta. "I'm sorry, I can't reverse Garry's decision." He said angrily. "For what it's worth I promise to give you guys a proper rematch after I get better, but this is out of my hands."

Rancis shook his head. "We get it. It's not your fault."

Fang looked up at Rancis. "I was wrong about you. Your just as dedicated as any racer I've ever met. No matter what that stupid rule book says, you beat me fair and square. But just so you know, I'm going to be coming after you when I get better." He said smirking.

Rancis smiled back at him. "I'll be waiting."

Vanellope glared up at Garry who was wearing smug smile on his face. She knew Garry might resort to cheating, but she never thought he'd stoop this low. And the way he just smiled despite Fang's injure. How low would this guy sink? "Don't worry Vanellope, we'll get him back for this." Gloyd assured.

Crumbelina nodded in agreement. "All me and Jubileena have to do is win tomorrow and we can cream them in the finals." She said smiling.

Jubileena gave a thumbs up. "We'll turn them into alamode!"

They all turned as they heard Jimmy and Larry walking down the stands. Jimmy glanced over at them. "If you know what's good for you, you'll forfeit the race tomorrow."

Crumeblina glared at him. "What did you just say?" She asked. "Look, don't think you can scare us out of the race just because your king and his flunkies pulled a few underhanded tricks."

Jimmy frowned. Did they really think he or the others had something to do with this? He seemed like he was going to say something, but simply shook his head. As he kept walking and Larry turned towards them, took off his hat, and bowed. "Hasta luego senoritas." As he rose up and tossed a candy rose to Jubileena. "See you tomorrow."

"He's dreamy isn't he?" Jubileena said swooning.

"I'll tell you what he is, he is going down!" Crumbelina said.

* * *

**A/N: And so another race ends, this time with a loss due to Garry's underhanded tricks! The next chapter will feature Jimmy and Larry going up against Crumbelina and Jubileena! How will they fair against the second ranked racers of the Sweet Tooth Kingdom? And what underhanded trick will Garry pull out of his sleeve next? **


	9. What Tomorrow Holds

Tea stood outside of the door nervously as she waited for Dr. Mario to come out and give them some news about Fang's condition. The other Sweet Tooth racers were spread out around the waiting room as well. The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence. The only ones who weren't on edge were the twins and Dough, neither seeming to get the severity of the situation.

The door opened and Dr. Mario made his way out with an exasperated look on his face. Tea immediately made her way up to him as he removed his gloves. "How is he? He's going to be okay right?" She asked hopefully. Fang always pushed his body past his limit, but he always recovered as well. She was sure this time would be no different.

Dr. Mario rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I'm afraid his injury a bit more complicated than we thought. You see, when he used his character item he used up more power than was ever intended to be used. It placed a massive amount of stress on his code. When he finished with his character item code was left in a very delicate state."

Tea looked at him confused. "B-But his code it stable right?" She asked.

He sighed. "Reactivating his character item so suddenly gave his code multiple cracks and fractures." He explained. Tea remembered the last moments of the race. How Fang reactivated his item to save Rancis and Taffyta. "But, his code it slowly starting to piece itself back together again. He's in no kind of danger at the moment, but he's facing a long and difficult recovery."

"So it'll take a while for him to get back on his feet. We'll skip a few random roster racers and be back in tip top shape right?" She said smiling. One look from him and her smiled turned upside down. "What's wrong?" She asked.

He scratched his head nervously. "Well, while his code make a decent recovery on the outside, the inside could very well end up hollowed and fragile. I'm just not sure if it can ever return to a state where he'll be able to race again." He admitted.

Tea felt like a her heart had just been ripped out. Never being able to race again? How could the be a possibility? That wasn't right, it wasn't fair! All Fang ever did was try his best and now he was going to lose everything. Jimmy quickly stepped forward. "What do you mean he could never race again?! So what if his code it broken or whatever, you supposed to be a doctor, fix it!"

Dr. Mario raised his hands defensively. "I'm sorry, but it's not something I can jut fix on a whim, it's just out of my hands. We'll just have to hope his code can stabilize to a point where he'll be ready to race once more." He said trying to calm them.

Cindy who was leaning against the wall rolled her eyes. "So he's reaping what he done sowed. I don't see why ya'll have so dramatic about it." She said crossing her arms.

"Cindy!" Sydney said glaring at his sister. "That ain't respectful."

Cindy shrugged her brother off. "Aw, he gambled and he lost, he knew what he was doing." Tea turned around and began walking towards the exit. The twins both shared a glance with one another before getting up and walking towards her.

"Hey Tea..."

"...where you going?"

Tea looked up and the twins both backed up in fear. She had a look of pure rage on her eyes. "Garry is the one who rigged the track. He's the one who did this to Fang. I'm going to turn him into a gum stain!" She said stomping towards the door. Sydney and Cindy quickly stepped in front of her. "Move." She said glaring at them.

Sydney tipped his hat. "You know what we can't do that Tea. Besides, we don't have any proof that Garry is the one that did this." He said trying to calm her down.

She balled her fist up. "You know he's the one that did it! No one else would have done anything like mess with the track but him! Your only defending him because he treats you two the best!"

Sydney stayed silent. "Tea, don't do something your going to regret."

Tea bit her lip angrily and then took a fighting stance. "All Fang and I have ever wanted to do was race! We went along with Garry's rule without questioning him even once, and now he's just tossing us away like we're candy wrappers! I'm not going to let him get away with this! Now move out of my way!"

Sydney and Cindy pulled out their pistols. "It's our duty to follow Garry without question! He's our king! And we don't have any solid evidence to prove he's the one behind this! Just stop what your doing before this has to get ugly!" Sydney pleaded.

"I'm telling you to move out of my way!" Tea said looking ready to strike.

"And I'm telling you to stop what your doing!" Sydney yelled back.

Tea was about to lunge at them when suddenly the twins jumped forward and grabbed her arms. "What are you doing?!"

"We don't want you..." Patrick begged.

"...to get trouble!" Petty finished.

She was about to tell them to let her go, but then she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She looked back and saw Manny staring at her. He shook his head. "Tea, I know what you feel like right now, but if you go after Garry you're only going to wind up in jail, or worst." He said. "Just let Jimmy handle it. After he wins tomorrow this whole thing will be all over."

Tea stared angrily at Manny who tried to look as reassuring as possible. She frowned and then began crying before marching towards Fang's room. Jimmy sighed and then began walking towards the exit. "Where are you going?" Sydney asked.

Jimmy glanced at him for a moment, but then kept walking without even muttering a word. He left the room and Larry quickly followed. Sydney prepared to go after them until Manny stepped forward and cut him off. "Let him go, you got other things to worry about Syrupshot."

Sydney glared at him. "What?"

"We've all served under Garry faithfully and loyally. We've followed every order he's given us without question, even though we knew it was all just a part of his stupid little scheme. Cheating was disgraceful enough, but he's taken down one of our own to boot. I don't care if he is our ruler, he's crossed a line." Manny said.

Sydney frowned. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you better talk to him, because if you don't make him stop, one of us will."

"Is that a threat?" Sydney asked.

"It's a promise." Manny said before turning to leave. Dough quickly followed after his partner leaving the Syrupshot's alone in he room.

Cindy scoffed. "Who does he think he is acting like some big shot? The only reason why he isn't at the bottom of the leader board is because the twins are even worst than he is." She spat.

Sydney said nothing. This was starting to get dangerous. It was one thing when it was just Jimmy who rebelled against Garry, but now everyone seemed to be turning against him. Why couldn't Garry have just listened to him and stayed out of the race? Why did he always have to push things too far? Sometimes being Garry's friend was far more stressful than it seemed.

* * *

Vanellope sat on the top of her castle and stared up at the moon. It felt a little weird looking from the top of the castle and not seeing the bright colorful setting she was used to, but it was clear the designers wanted the update to give a more realistic feel to the game. "Hey there princess. How's it hanging?" She turned around and saw Gloyd standing behind her.

She waved and gestured for him to take a seat next to her. "Nothing much pumpkin head. Just admiring the new scenery. It's weird. I've seen the nighttime in other games, I even stayed over Ralph's a few times, but now that it's nighttime here, everything just looks so different."

Gloyd shrugged. "Ah, it wears off after a while." He said taking a seat beside her. Vanellope remembered that Gloyd lived in the Pumpkin Patch, where it was always nighttime. He saw the moon and stars every night, so it made sense that he wasn't impressed with the new feature.

"So, how did you manage to sneak in here?" Vanellope asked.

Gloyd smirked. "What makes you think I had to sneak in?"

Vanellope rolled her eyed. "Oh please. We both know Sour Bill doesn't let anyone in the castle after midnight. That guy takes his job way to seriously sometimes." She said chewing on the licorice string of her jacket.

Gloyd chuckled. "He was too busy cleaning up the mess from the jelly bean bomb in the kitchen to pay attention to little old me." He said placing his hands behind his head. Vanellope shook her head towards him. He was a prankster down to his very core. "You shouldn't eat your clothes."

"What?" Vanellope said surprised.

"You shouldn't eat you clothes. Not unless you want to end up with nothing but that really stuffy princess dress."

Vanellope dropped her jacket string from her mouth. "What can I say, it's a force of habit. I eat when I'm nervous." She said sighing.

"What are you so nervous about?" Gloyd asked.

Vanellope looked at him like he was stupid. "Are you kidding me? As if running a kingdom wasn't hard enough, I have a whole crop of stuff to deal with now. I know I shouldn't be complaining since I'm the one that accepted the bet, but if we lose I'm gonna be married to that creep." She said shuttering.

Gloyd shook his head. "We won't let that happen."

"And now he's rigging the track and trying to take our racers out. He doesn't even care if he takes out his own racers to do it. This gotten way out of control." She said frowning.

"Yeah, but that's all the more reason we need to win. So we can stop Garry from pulling stuff like this." Gloyd said trying to encourage her.

She could not help but feel this was her fault. Garry laid the bait and she took it hook line and sinker. She hadn't thought about any of the consequences, or even considered that the others had to say on the matter. And now Fang was injured, protecting two of HER citizens.

She knew Garry wouldn't stop there. He had tried to hurt Rancis and Taffyta, and chances were he'd try to hurt Jubileena and Crumbelina tomorrow as well. She felt guilt tearing away at her. She was supposed to be protecting her citizens, and here they were risking their necks for a stupid bet she accepted in the spur of the moment. "This is all my fault. Some leader I am."

Gloyd saw the look on her face and quickly patted her on the shoulder. "Hey, no one is thinking like that. We all voted for you to stay president, remember?"

"Yeah, and look at where is got us." She said. She wasn't worth all of this trouble. "I'm really glad you guys trust me as leader, but I am in way over my head here. I don't know. Maybe I should just-"

"No!" Gloyd said quickly. "Don't even think about surrendering the bet! If you did that then Garry would be the ruler of the whole kingdom! And more importantly you would be stuck with him forever! There's no way I'll let that happen!" He said.

Vanellope looked at him clearly a bit surprised at his outburst. She then smiled at him. "I was only going to say maybe I should send some security down to the track to make sure Garry doesn't pull anything funny. But it's good to know how you feel Orangeboar."

Gloyd blushed heavily and then turned away from her. "Wha... I didn't mean... I thought..."

Vanellope smirked at him. "Pffft! You were getting all dramatic and stuff!" She said laughing. Gloyd crossed his arms and tried to banish the embarrassed look from his face. "Aw, don't go crying on me Pumpkin head. I'm not going anywhere. Who in the world would keep you in line if I left?"

"Me, cry? Yeah right. I'm a man, and men don't cry." He said sticking his chest out.

"Tell that to Felix." Vanellope countered.

They both shared a laugh before staring back up into the sky. Gloyd glanced over at her and then took his hat off. He held it out towards her. "Here."

"What's this?" She asked.

"I keep my secret stash of homemade candy in my hat, but since your so nervous you can have it." He said scratching his cheek. Vanellope looked at him surprised. She heard he kept a secret stash hidden from the others, but she never guessed he was hiding it right in plain sight.

Vanellope looked down at the hat and then back of at him. "Gloyd, are you sure. Swizzle told me you scaled the Frosty Frosted mountains just to get ingredients for this stuff."

Gloyd shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah well... no big deal. Now go on and try some. I bet with one bite it takes the nervousness right off." He said smiling.

Vanellope grabbed his hat and looked inside. "Man Gloyd, I don't know what to say." She reached inside and then grabbed a piece. It looked almost like a chunk of red chalk. She looked at it skeptically at first, but then took a bite. Her face lit up. "Whoa, it tastes like... everything."

"Not bad right?" Gloyd said proudly

"It's like a waterfall of flavor!" She said reaching in for another piece of candy. What she pulled out however was something completely different. "What's this?" She asked holding up a candy bracelet.

Gloyd saw it and quickly began to panic. He'd forgotten he'd hidden it in there. He reached forward and quickly snatched it for her. "N-nothing! It must be Crumbelina's or something! I'll be sure to give it back to her!" He said hiding it behind his back.  
Vanellope glitched behind him and then snatched the trinket away from him. He turned around and tried to grab it back, but she glitched away once again. "Why Gloyd, I had no idea you were one of those guys who was into jewelery." She said with a sly smile.

"It's not mine! I'm just holding it for someone! Someone from another game!" He lied. How could he have forgotten about that bracelet? He had literally just handed it right to her. He was starting to regret he even made the thing. Vanellope wasn't the type of girl to fawn over jewelery.

Vanellope eyed him curiously. "What girl?" She asked.

Gloyd felt his heart beginning to beat faster. "Um... a really special girl. I made it because I thought she might like it." He said poking his fingers together.

Vanellope looked down at her own feet nervously. "I... I think she'll like it. It's a little cheesy with all the hearts, but it's cute." She said looking back up at him. "So, when did you plan on giving it to her?" She asked.

"After the grand prix. You know, after all this crazy stuff has died down and I wouldn't have to worry about Garry or anything else getting in the way." He said hoping his face didn't look as red as it felt.

Vanellope walked over to him and then grabbed his wrist. She held his hand up and then placed the bracelet in his palm. "Well, I think that would be a great idea. And I know after we win she'll be looking forward to you giving it to her." She said smiling.

He smiled back at her and the both stood staring at one another. If there was a better moment to tell her, then Gloyd could never imagine it. He opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly they heard the hatch open again. "You!"

They looked over and saw Sour Bill. He didn't look happy... well, he never looked happy, but he was clearly unhappier that usual. "I think I should go!" Gloyd said as he got up and then sprinted off. "See you tomorrow Madam Mud face!"

"Alright you Duke of Dorkness." She yelled back waving. She watched as he leapt over Sour Bill and then quickly climbed his way down the hatch.

Sour Bill went after him as fast as his little feet could carry him. "Get back here you little trouble maker!" He yelled shaking his fist.

* * *

Crumbelina sat in the garage and looked under the hood of her kart. Usually she would simply leave this type of thing to the NPC pit crews rather than dirty her own hands, but she had to make sure for herself that her kart was in top condition. Tomorrow meant everything for them. If they lost, it was over. Vanellope would be married off to that jerk, and he'd be king of Sugar Rush.

Needless to say, there was a lot of pressure on her and Jubileena shoulder's. "Wow, so the fashion diva can actually get down and dirty. What a shock." Crumbelina quickly turned around and saw Jimmy standing in the doorway of the garage.

"What are you doing here?" Crumeblina said glaring at him.

He held his hands up. "Relax sugar queen, I'm not up to anything funny. I don't need to cheat to win." He said shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

"So, what are you here for?" Crumbelina asked raising an eyebrow.

Jimmy leaned against the wall and then sighed. "I want you to forfeit the race tomorrow."

She looked at him in disbelief. "Forfeit the race? Are you out of your mind? What in the world makes you think I would just give up?" She asked placing her hands on her hips.

"You saw what happened to Fang earlier. This isn't just some competition to him. It's a chance for him to rule all of Sugar Rush. He's willing to hurt anybody who gets in his way and..."

Crumbelina looked at him curiously. "And what?"

Jimmy scratched his cheek and looked away. "And I don't want that one of those people to be you, okay?" He said hoping it didn't sound as cheesy in his head as it did out loud.

Crumbelina looked a bit surprised. She crossed her arms and looked away trying to hide the blush on her face. "I-I don't need you worrying about me." She muttered.

Jimmy scowled. "Well forgive me for not wanting to see you get blown up in a car crash. Just... just don't show up tomorrow. That's the best thing for everyone."

Crumbelina frowned. "Do you really expect me to just sit back and let that jerk take control of the entire game? No way. I'm racing tomorrow, and I'm going to win."

Jimmy shook his head. "He won't take over the game, I can..."

"You can what?"

"Nothing." Jimmy said. He couldn't tell her what he was planning, otherwise she could be considered an accomplice. And if he failed Garry would have no problem punishing her, even if she had nothing to do with it.

"Look, I don't know what's going on over in the Sweet Tooth Kingdom, but there's no way I can just up and quite the race. All my friends are counting on me to win, and I won't let them down."

Jimmy gritted his teeth. "Stubborn girl..." He reached into his pocket and then pulled out a small box. "If your really dead set on it, then at least carry this with you." He said as he tossed it towards Crumbelina who caught it.

"What is this?" She asked.

"It's a shield from Sonic. I want you to keep it just in case Garry pulled anything. It should be strong enough to cover you and Jubileena from just about anything that gum wade had up his sleeve." He explained as he turned to leave.

Crumbelina looked at the box and then back up at Jimmy. "Thank you."

He waved his hand. "Whatever, don't sweat it. Just do me a favor and don't get killed."

"Your such a sweet talker." Crumbelina said rolling her eyes.

Jimmy stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. "I want you to know that even though tomorrow I have to go all out and beat you, it's nothing personal. And tell Vanellope not to worry about getting married to that sorry excuse for a prince. It won't last long." He said before walking out.

Crumbelina watched as he walked out and then clutched the item in her hand tightly. She really hoped she wouldn't have to use this thing tomorrow.

* * *

As Jimmy made his way towards his room he saw Sydney standing out of his door. He frowned and then stopped. "Well, the prince's right hand man came by just to say goodnight. To what do I owe this glorious honor." Jimmy said sarcasm dripping off every word.

Sydney sighed. "You went to go warn that girl didn't you?" Sydney asked. Jimmy's silence was the only answer he needed. "Your the one Garry wants to lose. Not them. Instead of trying to get them to drop out maybe you should take your own advice."

A frown grew across Jimmy's face. "Or maybe Garry shouldn't rig the fudging track, and just let whatever happens happen." He said glaring at him.

Sydney tipped his hat down. "You and I both know Garry gets what he wants. I tried to stop him, but he's dead set on having the finals. For your own good you should through the race tomorrow. If he thinks their winning on their own he'll have no need to use whatever he's got up his sleeve, and you'll get to save face-"

"Save face? You think this about m saving face? No, this is about me not just rolling over and giving that snot nosed brat whatever he wants. I'm GOING to win that race tomorrow, whether he likes it or not."

Sydney looked angry. "For the love of Mod Jimmy! Are you really willing to risk your life just to you can get under Garry's skin?! Is trying to get the top spot on the leader board really worth that much to you?! Because if it is I'll give it to you! Just don't do this!"

Jimmy shook his head and smirked. "Our rivalry? Is that what you think I'm so desperate over?" He asked chuckling. "To be honest Sydney, when you showed up I was happy. No, I was more than happy. I was ecstatic. I finally had competition."

Sydney frowned. "Jimmy I-"

"Not that Dough and Fang weren't competition of course, but you were different. You were better than me. I finally had something to strive for. I had a reason to be hungry. But then Garry started using you, and racing wasn't about competition or fun anymore. He ruined it for everyone. All because you and your sister were dumb enough to let him use you."

Sydney glared at him. "We are not being used!" He shouted.

"Yes you are! All that top spot means now is that your useful to Garry! But after tomorrow, it ends! Once I win this grand prix, I'm going to take you top spot on the leader board! And you better believe I'm not going to let that twerp use me like he does you! I'm going to put him back in his place!" He said.

Sydney gritted his teeth. "Garry is my friend! He freed me! He treated me and Cindy like family, even before we were on the top spot of the leader board!" Sydney snapped.

"Yeah, Garry is definitely the friendly type. He's going to find a friendly way to kill that Gloyd kid in the finals. Just so he can make an example to anyone who steps out of line."

Sydney looked down and was quiet for a few moments. "Your right, he might try and make an example of Orangeboar in the finals. But I know for a fact he'll make one out of you if you race tomorrow. I'm begging you, don't do this." Sydney pleaded.

Jimmy took a step towards him and looked him right in the eye. "I'm racing tomorrow." He said sternly. "I don't care what he says, I don't care what he does, I'm going to race, and I'm going to win. And after I beat them, I'm coming for him."

Sydney glared back at him. "That's treason Jimmy."

Jimmy walked past him and into his room. "No, that was just a threat. You ain't seen treason yet buddy." He said slamming the door behind him.

Sydney gritted his teeth. He had been trying his hardest to prevent the worst from happening, but between Garry's recklessness and Jimmy's rebelliousness, it seemed impossible. Each was dead set on going against the others wishes. He sighed and then began to leave. It was clear he had no choice but to simple hope for the best.

He feared what tomorrow held in store.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so no race this chapter. I wanted to add a little more Vanellope/Gloyd fluff. I felt like I was getting a little lazy on that front. Also threw in some drama mix with the Sweet Tooth racers. Don't worry though, the next chapter starts off with the race. Hope you guys liked it. And remember, read and review**


	10. Fourth Race: Tragedy On The Track!

The Hersey's Highway was buzzing with excitement. Usually it was the NPC fans that filled the seats, but today it was packed with characters from the arcade. Everyone was eager to see the outcome of today's race. Would the Candy Kingdom racers be able to pull of a win and hang in the competition? Or would the Sweet Tooth racers end the competition here and now?

Crumbelina and Jubileena stood on the side lines preparing for the race. Vanellope walked over towards the two girls. "Hey, you know if you two don't want to go out there, I won't hold it against you. I wouldn't ask anyone to stick their neck out just for me." She said.

Jubileena patted his on the shoulder. "Hey, there's no way we'd back down from these guys. And c'mon, we're friends. Sticking our necks out for each other is what we do." She said smiling.

Crumbelina nodded in agreement. "Besides, we wouldn't let you end up getting hitched to that pompous prince." She said giving her a thumbs up. "Just watch, we're gonna smoke these guys."

Vanellope smiled at the two. "Alright then, make sure to leave them in the dust!" She said before glitching back over to her seat. She took her seat beside Gloyd who was glaring at Garry. Today he wasn't riding on his blimp like he usually was. He was sitting in the stands with the others.

"Something is definitely up with him. He's always watched the races on that big blimp before, so what makes today so special?" Gloyd said suspiciously.

Vanellope glared. "No clue. But we know for sure that he hasn't been able to put anything on the track. We've had eyes on it since yesterday. And both Swizzle and the Oreo guards were here all night keeping watch. I also sent a handful to guard the garage in case he tried to sabotage their kart, but they didn't report anything."

"I still have a bad feelings about this." Gloyd said.

"Me too." Vanellope admitted.

Larry rose from his seat and then stretched his arms out. "Ah, are you ready to put an end to this thing hermano?" He asked looking towards his partner

"Of course. Are you?" Jimmy asked.

"What's that mean?" Larry asked back.

Jimmy sighed. "You know as well as I do that trying to win this thing will be tricky, and not because of Crumbelina or Jubileena. Garry is going to try and pull something out there, and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire just because I dragged you out there. If you don't want to do this I won't hold it against you Larry."

Larry chuckled and then walked out and put an arm around Jimmy's shoulders. "Hey amigo, we are best friends, brothers. You don't honestly think I'm going to let you go into this alone do you? Who else is going to yank you out of danger at the last second."

Jimmy chuckled. "You know Larry will probably want our heads after this right?" He asked.

Larry shrugged. "It's not like he didn't want your head already." He said. They heard a horn and then Sour Bill made the call for the racers to come to the starting line. "C'mon hermano."

Jimmy stood up and then followed after his partner, but then felt someone grab onto his arm. He turned around and then saw Sydney. "Jimmy, please. Don't do this. Just throw the race." He said. Jimmy pulled his arm away and began heading towards the starting line.

Larry jumped onto the back of the kart and then looked over at Jubileena. The red head gave him a smile and waved. "I want you to know mi amor, no matter what the outcome my feeling for you will remain as strong as ever." He pulled out a candy rose and then tossed it to her.

She caught it and smiled before sniffing the rose. "I'm glad to know that. Let's both do our best."

Crumbelina climbed onto the back of the kart and then looked at Jimmy. He looked back at her from the drivers seat. He hoped she remembered to bring the shield just in case. She pointed to her had and nodded to him and he nodded right back.

Jubileena and Jimmy turned towards Sour Bill and nodded. "The rules are... the same as every other race so far." He said flatly. Both Jubileena and Jimmy revved their engines. "Okay!"

"3! 2! 1! GO!" Sour Bill waved his flag.

Both Jubileena and Jimmy slammed onto the accelerator and sped off. The first part of the track was simply a short bridge that led onto the actual Hershey's highway, which was riddled with heavy traffic. There were, M&M and Jujubes cars, candy box trucks, and cookie themed motorcycles flying up and down the track.

Once they got got onto the road it was clear who held the advantage. Jimmy and Larry easily took the lead. Jubileena pressed the gas petal as hard as she could attempting to catch them, but she also had to take extra care to avoid the cars and trucks on the road. "This was easier when we were the only ones on the track!" She said.

"We have to try and get to the inner part of the track. There's less traffic and it'll be easier to make the turns!" Crumbelina advised.

"Got it!" Jubileena said speeding towards a nearby trick. She skilfully drove underneath it and made her way to the inner part of the track. They weren't far behind Jimmy and Larry, but they were slowly falling behind.

Larry looked back and smirked. "You know I've spent many days chasing the ladies, but I never thought I'd see the day where the ladies would be chasing me." He joked.

"Tell me about it." Jimmy mumbled.

Larry reached out and grabbed an item wrapper. He turned and began opening it up. "It's a shame we're going to have to shake them." He said sadly.

**"CHERRY BOMB!"**

Larry tossed the cherry up and down in his hand. "Forgive me, mi amor." He said before tossing the explosive towards Jubileena and Crumbelina.

"Oh fudge!" Jubileena swerved out of the way just in time to avoid the bomb. It bounced back and then blew up a M&M car to bits. Jubileena sighed with relief and then looked forward. She gasped as she saw a candy truck heading right towards them. She swerved out of the way once more and found herself struggling to avoid being hit by the traffic.

During all the commotion Crumbelina reached out and managed to snag a candy wrapper. She quickly opened it up. **"SWEET SEERKERS!"** A canon appeared on their kart and fired off three sweet seekers. They headed straight for Jimmy and Larry.

"We got a problem." Larry said frowning.

"No we don't." Jimmy said drove forward and then made a sharp turn underneath a nearby truck. The first sweet seeker crashed into the truck causing it to tumble over.

"Whoa, no way." Swizzle stunned.

The second one was gaining on them, but right before it crashed down Jimmy slammed onto the break causing it to miss. He then pressed his foot on the petal and sped back up. "How in the world can he be able to time that?" Vanellope asked.

"What's his plan for the last one." Candlehead said in wonder.

As the last sweet seeker began gaining on them they came up to a tight turn. Jimmy turned the wheel and began drifting around the corner. The small flames shooting from the pistons began growing hotter and brighter the longer the drift was held. "Almost there." Jimmy said smirking.

"Dude, it's catching up!" Larry said as the sweet seeker inched closer.

"Relax, I got this."

"Dude! Hurry up!" Larry shouted. He could have literally reached out and touched the sweet seeker at this point. Just then the flames from the pistons turned blue, and the kart boost forward just before the sweet seeker hit. It crashed into a car blowing it apart. "That was close."

"You have to be kidding me!" Crumbelina said shocked. She'd seen a few people able to dodge one sweet seeker before, just by a fluke. But they had easily avoided all three.

"I don't believe it. How in the world was he able to pull that off." Snowanna said.

Manny who was sitting beside her smirked. "I bet you thought Jimmy and Larry would only be a smidgen better than us right? Well you were wrong. He may be second to Sydney, but it definitely isn't by much. When it comes to pure racing skills, those two are on a whole different level. There's no way that those girls can win." Manny explained.

Snowanna frowned. "We'll see..." She said trying to hide the doubt in his voice. As much as she wanted to say Crumbelina and Jubileena would definitely make a comeback, she couldn't see how it was possible. Jimmy and Larry clearly had both the skills and stats on their side.

Manny glanced over towards Garry who was still smiling. He frowned and gripped his seat tightly. That smile bothered him. As clear as it was that Jimmy and Larry were going to win, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. That Garry was up to something.

Jimmy and Larry were still steadily increasing their lead. Crumbelina reached out and grabbed another candy wrapper. She quickly opened it.

**"BUTTERFINGER BOOMERRANG!"**

A large boomerang shaped piece of chocolate appeared in Crumbelina's hands. She looked over the item for a few seconds before smiling and taking aim. She brought her hand back and then threw it as hard as she could. It whirled forward heading towards Jimmy and Larry.

"That's troublesome." Jimmy said as he watched the weapon approach from his side mirror.

It turned down and nearly struck them, but they swerved missing them only by a few inches. It curved back around and headed towards them. "The Butterfinger Boomerang. It won't stop until it hits its target." Manny explained.

The boomerang once again narrowly missed them and curved back around for a third attempt. "I can only assume this boomerang is led by the undying love of my beloved." Larry said smirking.

"Stop babbling about love and do something about that thing!" Jimmy snapped.

The boomerang came again and Jimmy swerved hoping to dodge it, but this time it hit the side of their kart sending them spinning towards the side of the road. They quickly managed to make their way back to the track, but Crumbelina and Jubileena had nearly caught up.

"We almost got them!" Crumbelina said.

Jubileena nodded. "If we can snag another useful item we can take the lead."

Larry shook his head and got himself together. He then reached out and managed to grab a item wrapper. He looked down at it and recognized it immediately. It was his character item. He looked up at Jubileena and looked hesitant.

The licorice themed boy was more than willing to admit that he was more style than substance, his character item however was not. It was big, powerful, and destructive, especially in this particular stage. He didn't like using this against anyone, let alone Jubileena.

"Larry..." He looked over towards Jimmy who was glancing back at him. "We have to go all out here, otherwise Garry wins." He stated.

Larry looked down knowing he was right. They needed to win here, they had to pull out all of the stops. He looked up with resolve and prepared to open the item. "Forgive me mi amor." He said before pulling on the candy wrapper and unleashing his item.

**"CHARACTER ITEM! TWIZZLER TWISTER!"**

Two licorice whips suddenly appeared in Larry's hands. He held his hands up began spinning around as fast as he could. The crowd watched as the whips twirled around in the air, and then created a large red tornado on the back of the kart. "What in the world!" Vanellope shouted.

"The Twizzler twister." Petty said shuttering.

"I hate that thing." Patrick said nervously.

Both the twins pulled their hats over their eyes. The twist began pulling everything that wasn't rooted to the ground into the air. Cars, trucks, item wrappers, even some of the smaller audience members found themselves to be clinging to their seats to keep from being swept up.

The only ones who seemed to be unaffected were Crumbelina and Jubileena. "How are we supposed to deal with that?!" Jubileena said shocked.

Crumbelina jumped up and managed to grab a candy wrapper being sucked in by the storm. "Maybe we can knock them out of it!" She said opening the wrapper.

**"SWEET SEEKERS!"**

The three candy projectiles shot towards Jimmy and Larry, but the tornado easily swept up the oncoming attack and hurled it right back at them. "Oh crumbs!" The red head began swerving around managing to avoid the attack, but much more was coming.

The tornado was hurling everything that it had pulled in it's path at them. The girls drove around desperately trying to avoid the falling debris, and leaving complete carnage in their path. "The twister is already a devastating character item, but here where their so much stuff to throw, their near unstoppable." Manny said.

"Their going to crush them!" Taffyta said panicking.

"Oh, would you relax. Larry never likes hit anyone directly with this item." Garry said from a few rows up. "Besides, even if there is a little accident, they'll regenerate after all."

Vanellope glared at him. "You! You better not have messed with the track!" She said standing up.

"I did no such thing. That would be dishonorable and underhanded." Garry said smugly.

The president glitched forward in front of him. "I swear, if you harm even a single hair on their head then-" She suddenly felt herself being picked up by her hoodie. "What the-! Hey, put me down!" She said trying to shake loose from Ralph's grip.

"Calm down kid." Ralph said.

She crossed her arms and Garry chuckled. "Relax, I didn't pull anything against your little teammates." He said looking back towards the race.

More wreckage flew towards them, but Jubileena managed to avoid it all. It was clear Larry wasn't trying to hit them directly, he was just trying to slow them down with as many obstacles as he could, and it was working. She could see them getting further and further away.

"We have to find a way to get past them!"

Crumbelina ducked down seconds before a billboard knocked her off the back of the kart. She saw a nearby candy wrapper tumbling by the road. She grabbed onto the back of her seat and leaned out as far as she possibly could to grab it. She clung to it with her index and middle finger and then quickly pulled herself back.

She sighed in relief and then looked as the candy wrapper. "I'm going to try another item."

Jubileena looked at her as if she was crazy. "Are you nuts?! Whatever we throw at that thing is going to get thrown right back at us!"

"Well we have to try something!" Crumbelina said.

Jubileena sighed. "Open it."

Crumbelina nodded and then opened it up.

**"CHARACTER ITEM! MILK CHOCOLATE MUDWAY!"**

Crumbelina waited for an item to appear in her hand, but nothing came. She suddenly heard her parter gasped and then turned around to see what was going on. She looked shocked as melted chocolate began to appear over the entire track.

"What the heck?!" Jimmy watched as the melted chocolate finished consuming the whole track. He tried to keep the kart steady, but it was like driving through mud. Everything that hadn't been swept into Larry's tornado was sinking into the bog like chocolate.

"This is crazy." Vanellope said amazed.

"This is a perfect chance for them to catch up!" Rancis said excitedly.

Jubileena worried that she'd end up sinking into the swamp, but it seemed every part of the chocolate they drove over hardened. "We may actually be able to pull this off!"

The red head then looked up and grew a terrified look on her face. A huge truck was heading right towards them. Crumbelin screamed and held her arms up bracing for the impact, but as she did a part of the chocolate swamp rose up like a wall and stopped the truck. It sunk down into the swamp and both Jubileena and Crumbelina looked stunned. "You can control that thing?"

Crumbelina looked at her hands and then smiled. "Oh yeah." She said raising her hands. She threw them back down and a large wave of melted chocolate formed and began heading towards Jimmy and Larry.

Jimmy frowned and tried to sped up, but it was clear the wave was going to catch up. Larry frowned and then spun even faster. The tornado managed to suck up the wave of chocolate, but he realized the the licorice whips he was holding were now covered in hardened chocolate. In a matter of seconds the whips broke and crumbled apart.

The tornado dispersed and Larry fell to his knees and breathed heavily. "Are you okay?" Jimmy asked looking back at his partner.

"It just took a little more out of me than I thought. Just keep heading towards the finish line." He said as he grabbed a nearby item wrapper. "I'll slow down their attacks as much as I can."

**"CHERRY BOMB!"**

Larry threw the cherry bomb back, but Crumbelina lifted her hands and the chocolate rose up and formed around the explosive. It hardened and they drove by easily avoiding it. Crumbelina once again lifted her hands and chocolate began coming around Jimmy and Larry's kart. Jimmy tried to keep moving forward, but the chocolate was slowing them down.

He gritted his teeth. "Larry, switch!" Larry nodded and the two quickly switched seat.

"Now what?" Larry asked.

"No make sure I don't end up drowning on chocolate." Jimmy said taking his hat off.

Larry looked confused and then shocked when Jimmy jumped off the back of the kart. Larry quickly pulled out his whip and then swung forward. He managed to catch Jimmy around his ankle just before he dived into the chocolate.

"Wha-?! Hey! He left the kart! Is that legal?!" Taffyta asked.

"It can't be legal!" Gloyd shouted looking up towards Sour Bill.

The sour candy quickly flipped through the pages of the rule book, but could find nothing. No one had ever left their kart in the middle of a race before, so there was no rules concerning it. "It is clear that there is no rule AGAINST leaving the kart. Besides, even if there was Larry is still hanging on to him, so it wouldn't could." Garry said smugly.

"This is so sour!" Swizzle yelled.

Suddenly Jimmy shot out of the chocolate and pulled himself up onto the kart, dragging an item wrapper with him. He looked back and saw Crumbelina and Jubileena were right on their heels. He quickly opened up the wrapper.

**"RED VELVET ROSE!"**

A candy rose suddenly appeared in his hands. "What the? What am I supposed to do with this thing?!" Jimmy said not recognizing the item.

Larry looked back. "Blow on it!" He said.

"What?" Jimmy said confused.

"Just do it!"

Jimmy sighed and then blow on the rose. The petals flew off and then made their way towards the girls. The rose petals fluttered around them wildly and blocked their vision. "Hey, what's going on?!" Crumbelina said trying to swat the petals away.

Jubileena tried to focus on the road but then one of the petal flew into her eyes. "Ah!" She quickly reached up attempting to swat away the petal, but to no avail. The car swerved over and before either girl knew what was happening the car crashed into the side of the road.

Vanellope and the others looked shocked. "No..." Gloyd mumbled.

The melted chocolate began to disappear from the road. Larry looked over towards the crashed kart with a worried expression. He looked like he was going to run over and check on them, but Jimmy put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, we'll check on them after the we win!"

Larry nodded and the two switched once more. Jimmy slammed his foot on the gas and then sped towards the finish line. They were finally going to put an end to this thing. Gloyd gripped his seat tightly. "No, this can't be happening." He said panicking.

If they crossed that finish line it was over. Garry was going to take over the whole game, and he was going to lose Vanellope! He looked down at Jubileena and Crumbelina. Jubileena was out cold from the crash, and Crumbelina looked like she was out of it.

The twins stood up and jumped up and down. Dough stood up and smiled happily. "Alright, their going to do it! It's finally going to be over!" He said relieved.

"We did it!" Patrick said.

"We won!" Petty stated.

Manny couldn't believe it. They were really going to win. This nightmare of a competition was finally going to come to an end. He looked over at Garry to gauge his reaction. Garry chuckled and then grew a wicked smile across his face. Manny immediately frowned and then stood up and turned towards the track. "STOP!" He shouted.

Everyone turned towards him looking confused. "Manny? What's wrong?" Dough asked looking towards his partner. "Their going to win, like you said."

"Don't cross that finish line!" Manny shouted. It was useless, they couldn't hear him from here.

Garry laid back in his seat. "Too late..." He muttered to himself.

Just as Jimmy and Larry approached the finish line they heard a cracking sound. "What the?" Jimmy said confused. The kart suddenly cracked down the middle and snapped in two. The back half of the kart which was carrying Larry stopped and he tumbled against the ground.

He looked up and saw Jimmy's half still moving forward. Jimmy tried to take control of his kart, but none of the controls were working. The breaks were shot, and the steering wheel was jammed. Jimmy suddenly heard a beeping sound. He grew wide eyed and recognized the sound.

Explosives.

The front half of the kart suddenly blew up into pieces. There was a shocked silence in the audience. The silence lasted for only a minute, but it felt like a month. After what seemed like an eternity Crumbelina finally spoke up, stating what everyone had on their minds.

"H-he didn't regenerate."

Rarely, if ever, did a character actually die in Sugar Rush. It was a game filled with candy after all, death almost seemed like an impossibility. But on the rare occasion there was an accident, the characters regenerated on the spot almost immediately. But for some reason, it hadn't happened.

"What's going on..." Larry said as the situation slowly began to sink in.

"What happened?" Vanellope asked standing up.

Everyone suddenly heard footsteps behind them. Garry was waking down the stands and towards his blimp. "Oh my, a tragic accident seems to have taken place, and Jimmy hadn't responded. I should hurry back to the castle and look into this strange occurrence." He said.

Vanellope looked down at him with a look of utter shock. He'd done this. He had really just... murdered one of his own racers. She knew he was underhanded when he cheated in the last race, but she also knew Fang getting hurt was a miscalculation on his part. But this time, he had deliberately taken down on of his own. This wasn't dirty or underhanded, it was pure evil.

Larry looked at the scene before him. The full gravity of the situation had just sunk in. Jimmy was not coming back. His friend. His partner. His hermano. He was gone, forever.

"By the way Bill. I believe this Jimmy and Larry's kart was destroyed, this means that they win right? A shame, but rules are rules." Garry said heading towards his blimp.

Larry turned around and stared at Garry blankly for a few moments. Suddenly a look filled with pure hatred filled his face. "You! You just killed Jimmy!" He shouted taking out both his whips. "I-I'm not going to let you get away with this! You're going to pay!"

Garry glanced back at him and then smirked. He then turned back and began heading towards his blimp once more. "DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!" Larry shouted rushing towards him. A few of the Gum Guardians ran towards Larry to stop him, but with a flick of the wrist Larry had easily sliced them apart with his whip.

Just as he was about to aim for Garry, Cindy and Sydney slid in front of him. Cindy didn't hesitate to fire her pistol at him, but Larry easily knocked them away. He aimed his whip as he ankle and then pulled her feet from under her knocking her over.

Sydney then moved forward and easily the whips from Larry's handa. Larry glared angrily at him. "Your still going to defend him after what he just did?! He killed Jimmy!"

There was doubt written all over Sydney's face, but he didn't waver. The gum guards moved in to capture Larry who looked ready to fight, but suddenly Vanellope glitched in front of him. "Back off!" She snapped.

Garry who was now sitting on his blimp chuckled. "Coming to his defense. Noble of you. I understand Larry has just lost a dear friend and clearly isn't thinking straight, but he had threatened the prince, and he is my subject."

"Too bad! He's coming with me!" Vanellope said sternly.

The rest of the racers all came to her side, along with Ralph, Felix, and Tamora. A number of other arcade characters looked like they were ready to jump to her aid as well. The gum guards moved forward but Garry lifted his hand. "No, it's fine. If she wants to drag Larry along with her, then let her. Consider it an early wedding gift."

In an instant Vanellope had glitched in front of him. She reached forward grabbing him by his shirt collar and yanking him forward. "You better enjoy your last night of freedom Garry, because after I beat you I'm going to lock you in the fungeon, and no one is ever going to see your slimy little face again." She said angrily.

Garry looked at her surprised and then glared. "You're actually threatening me? Listen to me little girl. For you sake, you better hope I win. Because the alternative will be much, MUCH worst."

Vanellope pushed him back down and then returned his glare. "We'll see." With that she glitched back down with the others. Garry's blimp began to fly off.

Larry fell to his knees and then began punching the ground. How could he have been so stupid?! Why hadn't just he listened to Jimmy and defied Garry earlier! Then this might not have happened! "I'm a fool..." He said beginning to cry. He'd let his best friend die right before his eyes. He should have done something!

Manny got up and began walking of. "C'mon guys." He said. Dough and the twins were all sniveling as they followed after him.

"Where are you going?" Cindy asked.

"To tell Fang and Tea what happened." He said as he kept walking. And after that he was going to have a little chat with Garry. He had let things go on like this far enough. He should have just taken Garry down when he had the chance. But not anymore. He was going to make sure Garry didn't hurt anyone else anymore.

Gloyd balled his fist up and then looked towards Garry's blimp. Garry wasn't a prince, he was a tyrant. Eliminating anyone who got in his way. He would never let someone like him rule over Sugar Rush, let alone marry Vanellope. He would stop him at all cost!

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys. I find myself once again apologizing for the long update. Lot of family stuff to deal with, college courses, all that jazz. This chapter was a real tearjerker huh? Bet you guys didn't see that coming. Anyone the story is starting to approach it's climax. I just want to thank everyone again for their support and encouragement. I only started this fic to get some more Gloyd/Vanellope out there, and it turned out much greater than I could ever have hoped. I have you guys to thank for that.**


	11. Increasing the Odds

Fang dropped his glass which fell to the floor and shattered to pieces. He looked up at Manny clearly shocked at what he just heard. "W-what did you say?" He asked. Manny looked down at the ground with a saddened look on his face. "That can't be!" Fang shouted. There was no way Jimmy could be gone! There must have been a glitch or... something!

Tea balled her fist up and then stood up. "This is the final straw. I'm not going to just sit here and let him get away with this! Is isn't just cheating anymore, it's murder!" She shouted.

Manny raised his hand. "Keep it down before one of the guards here's you."

"Do you want me to just pretend like this didn't happen! Fang may never race again, and Jimmy is... Jimmy..." She began tearing up. "He's really gone..."

Manny placed a hand on her shoulder. "I never said we'd just keep quiet about this. But now is clearly not the time. Even if we were to revolt against Garry now what good would it do us. He's got all the gum guards and not to mention Sydney and Cindy."

Fang nodded. "He's right. I'm no good to anyone like this, the twins can't do anything, and Dough is to... soft for this sort of thing." He said. "No offense."

"No, your right. The only ones who are fit to do anything right now are me and Tea, and we'd be done for before we even made it to the throne room." He said simply.

"What about Larry?" Tea asked

"He tried to make a move against Garry, but the Syrupshots got in the way. Vanellope and her racers stepped in and now he's staying with them at their castle. But even if he was here I don't think it would make a difference. He just lost his partner. He's probably a wreck right now."

Tea sighed. "So we really are going to sit and do nothing."

Manny shook his head. "No, we're just going to bide our time and hit him when he's weakest. Tomorrow is the final race, and once Sydney and Cindy win we know Garry will be throwing some huge party to show off. We can strike then." He said.

"What if they lose?" Tea asked. Manny and Fang looked at her as if she was crazy. "Right. They never lose." She said bitterly.

"But what if they do?" They all turned and saw Dough standing in the door.

Manny sighed. "How much did you hear Dough?"

Dough shook his head. "I won't tell anyone about the plan. I swear." He said honestly. "I'm just saying, what if the Syrupshots actually lose. If someone can beat them then all of Garry's plans go down the drain."

"Dough, they are going up against Gloyd and Adorabeezle. Those two aren't even top rankers. The odds that they can pull off a win against Sydney and Cindy are... astronomical." Manny said.

"But what if they did? Then Garry wouldn't be able to take over the game, and our problems would be over. We wouldn't even need to overthrow him. Vanellope and her forces would easily be able to take him down. He'd be powerless."

Manny scratched his head. "I guess you're right about that. But still, that's slime to none chance. We can't just gamble everything on the possibility that they'll lose."

"Then lets increase our odds." Dough said smiling. They all looked at him confused. Had the impossible just happened? Did Dough seriously just have an idea?

* * *

That night there was no celebration. After what had happened earlier nobody considered it a real win, the lose was to great. It was a hollow victory. Vanellope had gone to the code room to see what happened to Jimmy's code. She hoped she could find out a way to get him to regenerate, but when she went there she found herself stumped.

His code looked like it was completely intact, but when she tapped it she couldn't find his location or any signs that he was... alive. She made her way back into the throne room and saw everyone waiting. Crumbelina was standing right near the entrance of the code room with a hopeful look on her face.

Vanellope looked at her and then shook her head. Crumbelina looked down and bit her lip. She wondered if she should have just heeded Jimmy's warning and given up when she had the chance. At least then he would still be here. "This isn't your fault Crumbelina. No one knew that Garry would take it this far."

She nodded but still felt terrible about it. Jimmy annoyed her yes, but he had also tried to protect her. He was even so bold as to put her safety above his own. "I still can't believe he did something like this. I knew he was despicable, but this is low even for him." Swizzle said balling his fist up. "We have to make him pay."

"We will." Vanellope assured.

Taffyta walked over and then tapped Vanellope on the shoulder. "Hey, I know this is a kind of heavy moment, but what exactly should we do about him?" She said pointing towards the corner.

Larry was sitting in the corner with his arms wrapped around his knees. He looked depressed beyond belief, devoid of all emotion, like he had just given up on everything. "I think we should just leave him be for now. He's been through a lot." Vanellope said frowning.

Jubileena walked over towards him. "Larry, you shouldn't stay here. Do you want me to show you to one of the guest rooms?" She asked.

Larry didn't take his eyes off the ground. He just scoffed. "It's my fault. I was right there when it happened. I could have stopped it." He said in a monotone manner.

Jubileena frowned and kneeled down beside him. "You can't blame yourself. No one could have stopped what happened." She said trying to comfort him.

Larry glanced up at her and she could see the hopelessness in his eyes. "You know, If I hadn't been such a pushover this wouldn't have happened. I should have used my twister to crush the both of you then and there. You would have regenerated." He spat coldly.

Snowanna was about to snap at him, but Jubileena shook her head. Rather than take offense to the comment she just crouched down next to him and then wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. Larry looked genuinely surprised.

"It's okay." Jubileena assured. "I don't know what type of pain your feeling right now, and I couldn't even begin to imagine would it would be like if I lost someone who was close to me. If it makes you feel any better I'll let you lash out at me as much as you want."

Larry looked taken aback by this, but said nothing. Vanellope nodded towards the others signaling for them to leave. Jubileena was the only one here who he'd probably talk to, so she thought it best to leave it in her hands.

As they left Minty looked down towards the ground. "So, everything rest of tomorrow's race huh? I wonder if things will really turn out alright." She said nervously.

Swizzle smiled down at her assuringly. "Are you kidding me? Everything will work out fine. No way we'll lose." He said.

"Yeah, but tomorrow we have to beat the Syruphots. Their the best racers the Sweet Tooth kingdom has. How are we supposed to beat them when it didn't even look like we could beat Jimmy and Larry?" Candlehead asked. Snowanna elbowed her side. "Ow! I'm just saying!"

"We'll win because we have to! Simple as that!" Taffyta said.

"You make it sound so easy. Even if we can keep up with Sydney and Cindy there's no guarantee that Garry won't... you know." Minty said.

Crumbelina frowned. "Look, there's a bunch of others characters from the arcade patrolling around the track to make sure nothing is up. The guards are at the garage too. We don't have to worry about anything like that." She said.

"Isn't that what we thought last time?" Rancis said.

"Enough!" Everyone turned towards Adorabeezle. "We don't have to worry about cheating this time. Not with Sydney and Cindy."

Gloyd nodded. "She's right. Garry has way too much faith in them. As far as he's concerned the race is already in the bag. But we won't let that happen! We're going to beat them, and show him that nobody messes with the Candy Kingdom!"

Everyone looked at eachother and then began smiling and nodding. "Yeah! We got this! Now come on Gloyd! We have some work to do!" Snowanna said heading off.

"What?" Gloyd asked.

"Me and Candlehead have a few tricks from the Rocky Road we need to show you." The afro headed girl explained.

Rancis snapped his fingers. "Now that I think about it, there are a few new short cuts that Taff and I discovered in the Candy Cane Forest." He said.

"Yeah, and I memorized all the traffic order from Hershey's Highway." Crumbelina threw in.

Vanellope smiled as they began making their way towards the garage. "Hey guys, wait up! I have to check this stuff out too!" She called going after them.

As they made their way to the garage they saw a group of figures up ahead. They all stopped and then looked up and saw Manny, Dough, Tea, and the twins standing before them. "I guess this is the part where all the kids pull together to save the wreck center right?" Manny asked smirking.

"What are you guys doing here?" Snowanna asked.

Dough smiled. "It was my idea!" He said proudly.

Manny crossed his arms. "Look, we're all tired of Garry, I think that much is obvious. Before we dealt with it because he was our prince, our leader. But now he's taken things way to far. There is no way we could keep taking orders from someone like that, not after what he did to Jimmy."

"We thought about overthrowing him, but there's no way he could pull that off. With his army and the Syrupshot's on his side, he's nearly unbeatable." Tea explained.

"But we can stop him..." Patrick started.

"...if you guys win." Petty finished.

Vanellope and the others all looked surprised. "Wait, so you guys want us to win?" She asked.

Manny nodded. "We came together and decided to put all our hopes on you guys." He said. "That being said, there is no way you guys have a chance against Sydney and Cindy. Your not even close to their level. The only ones who even held a candle to them was Jimmy and Larry, and your not even close to their skill level."

"Ouch." Gloyd said looking a little hurt.

"That's encouraging." Taffyta said sarcastically.

Tea smirked. "So, we decided to increase our odds. We know way more about our tracks than you do, and we have way more experience with double karts."

"Now get ready for..." Petty started.

"...our super ultimate training!" Patrick finished.

"Drifting, off road driving, switching, we're going to help you conquer every skill that's needed for double kart racing. By the time we're done you'll be able to at least stand a chance against those two." Manny said. "And if we're lucky, and mod takes pity on us, then you may actually pull off a win."

Snowanna raised his eyebrow and looked at him annoyed. "You know, you're being awfully snarky for someone who wants our help." She said crossing her arms.

He scowled right back at her. "That's because we don't want your help afro, we just happen to think you guys might be useful right now."

Dough stepped forward and pushed them apart. He walked towards Gloyd and Adorabeezle. "We know you probably don't want our help, but if you two lose tomorrow you have no idea what will happen. It'll be terrible."

Gloyd and Adorabeezle glanced at each other and then turned back towards them. "So you can show us everything that you guys know? Everything we need to win?" Adorabeezle asked.

"More or less." Manny said.

"Okay then." Gloyd said. "Let's get started."

* * *

Larry sat alone in the guest room thinking about what he should do next. Jubileena had gone off to get him a snack, insisting that he needed to eat something. He wasn't hungry or sleepy, he was... he didn't know what he was. But he did know one thing, he didn't want to be here right now. He got up and then began heading out the door.

He supposed he could just leave the game. He saw no point in staying here if his partner was gone. It wasn't like he could stay here. He wouldn't burden Vanellope or the others by staying in the Candy Kingdom, and he refused to go back to Garry. He made his way down the hall, and then suddenly saw a green light go by. "Que?"

He walked towards the direction he saw the light and then saw it go by again. What in the world was that? He kept walking after it but only managed to catch a glimpse the light going around the corner. He went from walking to running after it, but still couldn't catch up.

Larry chased the light as fast as he could, and before he realized just how far he'd gone, he was on the roof. He struggled to catch his breath and then looked around. There was nothing here. It was impossible! He saw the light come up here! Where could it have gone? He sighed. What was he doing? Chasing imaginary lights around an empty castle, he must be going crazy.

He turned to leave, but suddenly saw a bright light shining behind him. He whipped around and then backed up. No, he couldn't be seeing what he was seeing. It was impossible. Standing before him, was Jimmy, who wore a smirk on his face.

"What's with the stupid look? Are you really that surprised to see me?"

Larry fell back and then pointed at him. "Y-you can't be here! You're dead! You were blown up, into little pieces! I saw it!" He said in shock.

Jimmy towards him and chuckled. "Haven't you ever heard of ghost?" He asked.

"Ghost..." Larry muttered to himself.

This was impossible. He had to be dreaming. He must have dozed off in the guest room. Any second now Jubileena would come in and wake him up from all this nonsense. "Hey, pay attention to me De Lickerish!" Jimmy yelled knocking his hat off.

Larry looked at him and gulped. He reached up and then ran his hands through his hair. He could feel it. He could feel his hair. Which meant Jimmy really had just knocked his hat off. So did this mean... no! It was just a dream! Dreams always felt real. He turned to leave but Jimmy grabbed the front of his shirt. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Larry tried to pry himself loose, but Jimmy's grip was as strong as ever. "Y-you're not real! You are just a dream!" He said trying to force himself awake.

Jimmy shoved him to the ground. "Well, dream or not, I'm here. And I'm going to keep on coming and bugging you until you get off your lazy butt and get to work."

"Work on what?" Larry asked confused.

"Are you seriously asking me that? I want you to get to work on avenging me of course. I don't want to have died for nothing you know."

"How am I supposed to avenge you? It's not like I can-" Jimmy bent down and then delivered a headbutt to Larry. "OW!" Larry leaned back and grabbed his head. Even if this Jimmy was just a dream, he sure acted like the real thing. And he hit just as hard.

"Don't give me those gumdrops! You're my best friend! If anyone is going to avenge me then your the guy who should be the one to do it. Or at the very least help out."

"Help out?" Larry asked.

Jimmy stood up and then pointed over towards the Candy Cane forest. Larry got up and then looked over to see Gloyd and Adorabeezle driving through the forest. They looked like they were trying to do donuts around one of the trees. Not far behind them were Manny and Dough who seemed to be giving them advice. "Que?"

"You see man, their already working on bringing Garry down. You should be over there helping them out." He said leaning against the edge of the wall.

"You have to be kidding me. We both know they don't stand a chance." Larry said bitterly.

"Well, whether they stand a chance or not, you have to help them. It's your best friends dying wish after all." Jimmy said picking up his hat. "So get to it. And if I have to come back here again, you won't like it."

He shoved his sombrero into his hands and turned and began walking off. "Your dying wish? Are you kidding me? I don't even know if you're real or not!" Larry shouted. Forget dreaming, he might be going insane right now.

"Well, then it's your imaginary best friends dying wish. Same thing."

Larry watched as Jimmy walked towards the edge of the roof. He stepped off and Larry reached out to stop him, but suddenly he was gone. Larry stood frozen in place. What in the world just happened? Was he really just talking to Jimmy. Was he even on the roof right now?"

He heard the hatch behind him open and then saw Jubileena's head pop out. "Larry!" She shouted. She ran over and then hugged him before looking him over. "What are you going out here on the roof so late? You're going to end up catching a cold or something."

At least one of his questions was answered. He really was on this roof. Jubileena looked up at him and then frowned. "You should put you hat on. It's kind of cold up here." She suggested.

Larry looked startled. He looked down and realizing he was holding his hat in his hand. Had this meant Jimmy really did shove it in his hands. Maybe he'd taken it off when he was hallucinating or something. He thought it over for a few seconds before chuckling to himself. Jubileena looked at him worriedly. She knew he was broken up about losing Jimmy, but had he just gone crazy?

Larry adjusted his hat on his head and then began walking towards the hatch. Whether it was the real Jimmy, or just some hallucination, he knew he was right. How could he just stand here while everyone else was working so hard to beat Garry? He knew his partner, his brother was gone. But there would be time to mourn later. For now, he needed to throw his lot in as well.

"Where are you going?" Jubileena asked.

"I'm going to go help the others of course. There is still much Gloyd and Adorabeezle need to learn before their ready to go up against Sydney and Cindy." He said smiling. He stopped and then snapped his finger before turning back around towards her. "Oh, and I nearly forgot."

"Forgot what?" Jubileena asked.

Larry stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her. He leaned down and then kissed her on the lips. The red headed girl looked surprised, but then closed her eyes and returned the kiss. The two held the kiss for nearly two minutes and Jubileena looked like she was melting in the boys arms. When they finally stopped he pulled her back up to her feet.

Jubileena smiled goofily and tried to balance herself on her now shaky legs. "What was that for again?" She asked dreamily.

He smiled sweetly at her before pulling our a candy rose and handing it to her. "That was my gracias for putting up with my rather unruly behavior for all this time mi amor." He said.

"Oh... your welcome then." She said giggling.

He then cupped her chin. "I have to go help your amigos prepare for the race now. But do not worry, I have many more thanks to give my sweet." He gave her another quick kiss on the lips and then turned and made his way down the hatch.

Jubileena stood in place with a dreamy look on her face. She'd spent nearly two decades in a game based off candy and snacks. But never had she experienced anything as sweet as that.

* * *

Adorabeezle made her way towards her house with a yawn. They had spent hours going over everything they would need for tomorrow, and now it was time to get some rest. As she got closer she saw someone standing in front of her house. It was Sydney, who was leaning against her front door. Snapper was nearby running around in circles. When he spotted he dashed towards the girl happily.

She bent down and smiled as Snapper jumped into her arms. "Hey there boy, you've been staying out of trouble right?" She asked as he began nuzzling her face. She rubbed his stomach and suddenly his body went limp and his tongue hung out of his mouth. So he was almost like a real alligator. She looked up at Sydney. "So, I'm guessing you didn't just come for a visit."

Sydney looked down at the ground with a frown. "I just came to ask how Larry was going. I wanted to come and see him myself, but I didn't think he would want to see me right now. I very much doubt I'd be greeted too kindly by the others either." He admitted.

Adorabeezle shook her head. "We all know that you and your sister had nothing to do with this. It isn't your fault. Garry is the one to blame." She said. She saw his face sadden at the mention of Garry's name. "You don't have to listen to him you know. You could forfeit the match. Come stay with us. We would protect you from Garry."

Sydney shook his head. "I don't listen to Garry out of fear, I listen to him because he's my ruler, and my friend." He said sitting down against the door. He took his hat off and then ran his hands through his hair. "But now, after what happened to Jimmy. I... I don't know what to do."

Adorabeezle sat down next to him. He looked like he was really confused and worried. But she could tell one thing, he really did think of Garry as his friend, so she could understand why he seemed so stressed out. "Look, I get it. Garry is your friend, and you don't want to turn against him. But he's growing out of control Sydney."

He sighed and then covered his face with his hands. "I know that. But I still have no idea what I am supposed to do. I can't go against his orders. He's the prince. But I don't want to see people keep getting hurt anymore."

"You know, sometimes I wonder what drove Turbo to do what he did." Adorabeezle said out of the blue. "What in the world could have pushed him to get everyone in his game killed, what made him erase our memories, treat Vanellope like he did. After a while I came up with a pretty good guess."

"What's that?" Sydney asked.

"There was no one to stop him. From what other people have told me, he was only concerned with one thing. Winning. He didn't have any friends, no one who cared about him. He was a stranger to everyone, even to the characters in his own game." She said. "When Road Blasters showed up and Turbo started to go crazy, no one was there to stop him, to tell him it was wrong."

"Your saying Garry is like Turbo?" Sydney asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, but there is a big difference. He has friends, someone who actually cares about him. He has someone to tell him he's wrong. If you really care about Garry, if he's really your friend, you need to stop him before he does something... worst." She said.

Sydney looked at her for a few moments. Like he was taking in everything she just said. He got up and then placed his hat on. "Thanks for the chat." He said beginning to walk off. Snapper chased after him. "I'll see you at the race tomorrow."

Adorabeezle watched as he walked off. She sighed. "Right... tomorrow."

* * *

**A/N: Once again, sorry for the long update. No real excuse this time, just straight writers block. Anyway, there we have it! The big preparations for the final race! Who will win? Who will lose? Has Larry really gone insane? Have Adorabeezle's words touched Sydney? You have to read the next chapter to find out! Don't forget to read and review!**


End file.
